Historical term for execution by beheading, used in pre-modern Japanese legal contexts.
江戸時代には、重い罪に対して斬罪が科されることがあった。
In the Edo period, decapitation was sometimes imposed for serious crimes.
Compound of 斬 (ざん, 'to behead') and 罪 (ざい, 'crime' or 'punishment'), literally meaning 'beheading punishment'.