rear tenement; back-alley tenement
Historical term for a tenement house located behind a main street, typically associated with the Edo period and lower-income residents.
In the Edo period, many craftsmen and merchants lived in rear tenements.
Compound of 裏 (ura, 'back') and 長屋 (nagaya, 'row house, tenement'). The term reflects the physical location of such dwellings behind main streets.