Kenin (Japanese history)
was the third of the five lower castes of the Japanese ritsuryō system. A privately owned servant, a kenin had a better social status than a slave (), could be inherited but not sold, could participate in the life of the family and have one of his own. The term can also be synonymous with gokenin. The gokenin were vassals of the shōgun during the Kamakura, Ashikaga, and Tokugawa shogunates. The meaning of the term evolved in time, so its exact meaning changes with the historical period. Notes

References
 Iwanami  Japanese dictionary, 5th Edition (2000), CD version

Government of feudal Japan
Obsolete occupations