new commoner; former outcast after the 1871 abolition of the feudal caste system
Historical and derogatory term for people who were formerly classified as 穢多 (eta) or 非人 (hinin) and were legally reclassified as commoners after the Meiji-era abolition of the caste system, but continued to face severe discrimination.
In the Meiji period, the term shin-heimin was used, but it was a discriminatory word.