also: まきびと
noun
Refers to a person who tends livestock, especially in pastoral or biblical contexts. The reading ぼくじん is standard; まきびと is rarer and somewhat literary.
聖書には羊飼いとしての牧人がよく登場する。
Herdsmen as shepherds often appear in the Bible.
彼は若い頃、牧人として草原で働いていた。
When he was young, he worked as a herder on the grasslands.
牧畜業者 refers more broadly to a livestock farmer or rancher as an occupation, while 牧人 emphasizes the traditional role of tending animals directly, often with a pastoral or historical nuance.
羊飼い specifically means 'shepherd', whereas 牧人 can refer to herders of various livestock, not just sheep.
Compound of 牧 (boku, 'pasture') and 人 (jin, 'person'). The reading まきびと is a native Japanese reading (kun'yomi) of the same characters, literally 'pasture person'.