Rare, possibly archaic use for a physical gap or hole. Modern Japanese typically uses 隙間 or 穴.
confiscation of property; exile and expropriation; lordless estate
Historical term from the Edo period and earlier. Sense 2: confiscation of property. Sense 3: punishment of exile and expropriation (闕所 only). Sense 4: original meaning in Kamakura/Muromachi periods for an estate without a feudal lord (闕所 only).
In old documents, it is written to block up the gaps in the wall.
In the Edo period, samurai who committed serious crimes could be sentenced to confiscation of property.
In the Kamakura period, 闕所 referred to an estate without a feudal lord.
Common modern word for a gap or crevice; 闕所 in the 'gap' sense is rare and archaic.
Primary kanji form for historical senses; also used for the rare 'gap' sense.
Variant kanji form; less common than 闕所.
The kanji 闕 means 'lack' or 'gap', and 所 means 'place'. The historical legal senses derive from the idea of a place becoming vacant or lacking an owner. The exact derivation is uncertain.