quitting one's job and returning to one's hometown
Archaic noun, now largely replaced by modern expressions like 帰郷 or 田舎に帰る. Cross-referenced with 帰りなんいざ, a classical phrase with a similar meaning.
See also: 帰りなんいざ
帰去来 is an old word that refers to a person returning to their hometown.
From 帰去来兮, “Come, let me return,” the opening words of Tao Yuanming’s Chinese poem 帰去来辞. In Japanese, the phrase came to evoke resigning from public life and returning home.