also: そうえん
manor; demesne
Historical term for a large private estate or manor, especially in medieval Japan, often associated with the shōen system.
In medieval Japan, manors were the economic foundation of the nobility and temples.
Many manors existed in this region.
manorial system
Standard kanji form; the reading しょうえん is the most common.
Alternate reading そうえん, restricted to the 荘園 spelling; rarely used.
Variant kanji form using 庄 instead of 荘; less common but seen in historical contexts.
From Middle Chinese 莊園 (tsrjang hjwon), meaning 'manor' or 'estate'. The kanji 荘 means 'villa' or 'manor', and 園 means 'garden' or 'park'.