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Kenin (家人, house person) was the third of the five lower castes of the Japanese ritsuryō system.[1] A privately owned servant, a kenin had a better social status than a slave (shinuhi (私奴婢)), could be inherited but not sold, could participate in 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 shōgun during the Kamakura, Ashikaga, and Tokugawa shogunates.[1] The meaning of the term evolved in time, so its exact meaning changes with the historical period.
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