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被官百姓 (hikanbyakushou) Japanese meaning: serf | Kotomora

被ひ官かん百びゃく姓しょう

ひ

か

ん

びゃ

く

しょ

う

Meanings

1

serf; bonded peasant

rare term

Historical term for a peasant bound to a feudal lord or estate in pre-modern Japan. Rare in modern usage outside historical contexts.

江え戸ど時じ代だいの被ひ官かん百びゃく姓

しょう

は

、

領りょう

主しゅ

に

年ねん

貢ぐ

を

納おさ

める

義ぎ

務む

が

あっ

た

。

During the Edo period, serfs were obligated to pay tribute to their feudal lord.

Kanji

被incur, cover, veil
官bureaucrat, the government, organ
百hundred
姓surname

Related words

農のう奴ど
農奴 is a more general term for 'serf' or 'agricultural slave' and can be used in broader historical contexts, while 被官百姓 specifically refers to a serf under a Japanese feudal system.

Built from

被ひ官かん+百ひゃく姓しょう

Etymology

Compound of 被官 (ひかん, 'low-ranking official' or 'serf') and 百姓 (ひゃくしょう, 'peasant' or 'farmer'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term reflects the feudal social structure of pre-modern Japan.