Historical term for the head of a village during the Edo period, especially in the Kansai region. Similar to 名主 (なぬし) in other regions.
See also: 名主
During the Edo period, the village headman coordinated the collection of the annual tribute as the village's representative.
In this area, the house of the village headman is still preserved today.
menko (obsolete term)
shōya-ken; kitsune-ken; traditional hand-gesture game
Standard modern spelling; used in news and high-frequency contexts.
Alternate kanji form; less common than 庄屋.
The term originates from the historical administrative role of a village headman in pre-modern Japan. The kanji 庄 (or 荘) refers to a manor or estate, and 屋 indicates a person in charge, though the exact derivation is uncertain.