1.
land tax; annual tribute (paid in rice)
A tax levied on agricultural land during Japan's feudal periods, typically paid in rice. In modern usage, it survives mainly in the set expression 年貢の納め時, meaning "time to face the consequences."
年貢の納め時だ。
It's time to face the music.
Set expression meaning the time has come to accept consequences or responsibility.
農民は重い年貢に苦しんでいた。
The farmers suffered under heavy land taxes.
江戸時代には年貢は主に米で納められていた。
During the Edo period, land tax was mainly paid in rice.
USAGE:
As a historical term, 年貢 refers to the tax system of feudal Japan. In modern Japanese, it appears almost exclusively in the idiom 年貢の納め時 (literally "time to pay the tax"), meaning the time has come to face the consequences of one's actions, especially when someone who has been evading responsibility must finally own up.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 年貢の納め時 (time to face the consequences — set expression)
- 年貢を納める (to pay land tax)
- 年貢米 (rice paid as tax)
SIMILAR WORDS:
税 and 税金 are the modern words for tax. 年貢 is specifically the feudal-era agricultural tax and is not used for modern taxation.