also: さいやく
corvée labor system (ritsuryō)
Historical term referring to the mandatory labor obligation for able-bodied men under the ritsuryō legal codes, typically involving work in the capital.
Under the ritsuryō system, adult men were subject to the corvée labor obligation.
Standard kanji spelling for this historical term.
Alternate reading; less common.
From 歳 (sai, 'year') + 役 (eki, 'service/labor'), referring to the annual labor duty. The reading さいやく is a variant.