荘園(しょうえん)

しょうえん
noun
manor; feudal estate
writtenhistorysociety
1. manor; feudal estate; landed estate
A privately owned agricultural estate in pre-modern Japan, particularly from the Nara through Muromachi periods. Manors were granted tax-exempt status and were controlled by aristocrats, temples, or shrines. Composed of 荘 (estate) + 園 (land).
平安時代(へいあんじだい)には荘園(しょうえん)が増(ふ)えた。
Manors increased during the Heian period.
貴族(きぞく)たちは広大(こうだい)な荘園(しょうえん)を所有(しょゆう)していた。
The aristocrats owned vast manorial estates.
荘園(しょうえん)制度(せいど)の崩壊(ほうかい)は武士(ぶし)の台頭(たいとう)と深(ふか)く関(かか)わっている。
The collapse of the manor system is deeply connected to the rise of the warrior class.

Etymology

The 荘園(しょうえん) system developed in Japan from the 8th century onward. Powerful families, temples, and shrines accumulated tax-exempt lands, weakening central government revenue. The system gradually declined as warrior clans gained control of the land during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods.

Common collocations

general
Added 2026.3.5 16:54 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
15000/15123_shouen