also: しょくほう
noun
stipend from designated households (ritsuryō system)
Historical term from the ritsuryō period: a stipend paid to a noble or official by a specific household, rather than directly from the state treasury. Related to 封戸.
See also: 封戸
律令制では、貴族に食封が与えられた。
Under the ritsuryō system, nobles were granted stipends from designated households.
食封は封戸からの収入によって支えられていた。
The stipend was supported by income from the designated households.
封戸 refers to the designated household itself that provided the stipend, while 食封 is the stipend received from such households.
Compound of 食 (eating, here meaning 'to receive support') and 封 (fief, grant). The reading じきふ is a go-on reading, while しょくほう is a kan-on reading; the former is more common in historical contexts.