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{{nihongo|'''Kenin'''|家人|house man}} was the third of the [[Japanese castes under the ritsuryō|five lower castes]] of the ''[[ritsuryō]]'' system<ref name="IK">Iwanami Kōjien</ref>. A privately-owned servant, a ''kenin'' had a better social status than that of slaves {{nihongo|''shinuhi''|私奴婢}}, could be inherited but not bought or sold, and could participate to the life of the family<ref name="IK"/>.
{{nihongo|'''Kenin'''|家人|house man}} was the third of the [[Japanese castes under the ritsuryō|five lower castes]] of the ''[[ritsuryō]]'' system<ref name="IK">Iwanami Kōjien</ref>. A privately-owned servant, a ''kenin'' had a better social status than that of slaves (the {{nihongo|''shinuhi''|私奴婢}}), could be inherited but not sold, and could participate to the life of the family and have one of his own<ref name="IK"/>.


The term can also be [[synonymous]] with ''[[gokenin]]''<ref name="IK"/>. The ''gokenin'' were vassals of the [[shogun]] during the [[Kamakura Shogunate|Kamakura]], [[Ashikaga Shogunate|Ashikaga]], and [[Tokugawa shogunate]]s<ref name="IK"/>. The meaning of the term evolved, so its exact meaning changes with the historical period.
The term can also be [[synonymous]] with ''[[gokenin]]''<ref name="IK"/>. The ''gokenin'' were vassals of the [[shogun]] during the [[Kamakura Shogunate|Kamakura]], [[Ashikaga Shogunate|Ashikaga]], and [[Tokugawa shogunate]]s<ref name="IK"/>. The meaning of the term evolved, so its exact meaning changes with the historical period.

Revision as of 10:23, 2 January 2009

Kenin (家人, house man) was the third of the five lower castes of the ritsuryō system[1]. A privately-owned servant, a kenin had a better social status than that of slaves (the shinuhi (私奴婢)), could be inherited but not sold, and could participate to the life of the family and have one of his own[1].

The term can also be synonymous with gokenin[1]. The gokenin were vassals of the shogun during the Kamakura, Ashikaga, and Tokugawa shogunates[1]. The meaning of the term evolved, so its exact meaning changes with the historical period.

Notes

  • Iwanami Kōjien (広辞苑) Japanese dictionary, 5th Edition (2000), CD version
  1. ^ a b c d Iwanami Kōjien