Rare, possibly archaic use for a physical gap or hole. Modern Japanese typically uses 隙間 or 穴.
In old documents, it is written to block up the gaps in the wall.
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 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.
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.