Meaning

Primary

Manor

Alternative

Agricultural Estate

Word Type

noun

Explanation

A manor with a park is still a manor — it's just a really big and impressive one.

庄園 refers to a medieval-style manor — a large agricultural estate granted to a lord by the monarch to be managed privately as a source of personal income. In Japan, 庄園 were an important part of the medieval economic system, with the aristocracy and the religious establishment controlling thousands of them around the country. Many famous samurai families took their names from 庄園, as they often managed them locally in place of absentee owners who preferred to hang out in Kyoto.

Reading

しょうえん
  • Kyoko
    (Tokyo accent, female)
  • Kenichi
    (Tokyo accent, male)

Explanation

This is a jukugo word that uses the on'yomi readings of the kanji. You should be able to read this on your own.

Context

Patterns of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • 庄園領主

    manor lord, proprietor of an agricultural estate

    庄園制度

    manorial system, estate system

    庄園整理

    manor reorganization

    庄園支配

    manor rule, rule of an agricultural estate

Context Sentences

平安時代には多くの庄園が作られた。

Many private estates were established during the Heian period.

この地域には昔、大きな庄園があったんです。

Long ago, there was a large manor in this area.

庄園制度導入への準備は全て整っています。

Everything is in order for the introduction of manorialism.

庄園制度は日本の中世社会に大きな影響を与えました。

The manorial system had a major impact on medieval Japanese society.

Kanji Composition