惣そう

noun

rural local self-government (Muromachi period)

Historical term referring to a form of village-level self-governance that emerged during the Muromachi period. Rare in modern Japanese outside historical texts.

• 室むろ町まち時じ代だいの惣そうは、村むらの自じ治ち組そ織しきとして機き能のうした。

  The sō of the Muromachi period functioned as a village self-governing organization.