sentry box; guardhouse; guard lodge
A small building or post where a guard or watchman is stationed. Can refer to modern security booths or historical guard posts.
Edo-period police box
Historical term for a neighborhood watch post or police box during the Edo period. Often associated with the 自身番 (jishinban) system.
See also: 自身番
A guardhouse is placed at the entrance of the construction site.
We kept watch all night in the guard lodge at the fishing port.
In the Edo period, the town police box was also called a jishinban.
Compound of 番 (ban, 'watch, guard') and 屋 (ya, 'house, shop'). The exact historical derivation is straightforward.