noun
rice tax; rice levy; tax on rice fields
Historical term from the ritsuryō system; refers specifically to a tax paid in rice from agricultural land. Often appears in compounds like 田租.
See also: 田租
律令制では、農民は租として収穫の一部を納めた。
Under the ritsuryō system, farmers paid a portion of their harvest as rice tax.
noun
annual tribute; annual tax
Broader historical use for a yearly levy or tribute, not limited to rice. Rare as a standalone word; mostly encountered in historical texts or compound terms.
古代の租は、米以外の産物で納められることもあった。
In ancient times, the annual tribute could sometimes be paid in goods other than rice.
Standard kanji form for this historical tax term.
The kanji 租 combines 禾 (grain) and 且 (a phonetic element suggesting 'to place' or 'to levy'), indicating a tax on grain. The reading そ is the Sino-Japanese on'yomi.