tenant farmer
Refers to a farmer who rents land from a landowner, especially in historical or rural contexts.
During the Edo period, many tenant farmers rented land from landowners to engage in agriculture.
小作人 is a tenant farmer who rents and works land, the direct counterpart to 地主 who owns that land.
Compound of 小作 (kosaku, 'tenant farming') and 人 (nin, 'person'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the meaning.