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''Nobi'' is a term for the historically lowest caste in historic Korean society. It is the Sino-Korean word for a system of servitude in place between the 4th and 19th centuries. Its status diminished greatly during the latter half of the Joseon Dynasty, and it was eventually abolished (along with other aspects of the ''sinbun'' class system) with the adoption of the Gabo Reforms (1894–1896). ''Nobi'' can refer to both the system itself and to the people in the system. ==History== Like the slaves, serfs, and indentured servants better known in the Western Hemisphere, ''nobi'' were considered property or chattel. They could be bought, sold, and given as gifts. Their owners were responsible for their care and well-being, and to a certain extent, legally responsible for their actions. In practice however, virtually no legal protection was accorded to ''nobi''. ''Nobi'' could own property in many cases, and were allowed to marry and rear children. Acceptable marriage arrangements for ''nobi'' differed according to circumstance. Occasionally they could marry commoners, or in a few cases, could become concubines to their owners. More often, however, they could only marry other ''nobi''. Children born from ''nobi'' marriages were sometimes made ''nobi'', or commoners, or were even abandoned altogether -- as decided by the ''nobis owner. Nobi were often made to work as servants, such as in the households of members of the ''Yangban'' class, or as field laborers, or as public servants in the courts. They were often people being punished for the commission of a crime or the failure to pay a debt. However, becoming a nobi voluntarily was possible; this might be done to escape crushing poverty. Some were tattooed with a distinguishing mark to denote their status and to dissuade escape. The term ''nobi'', and its proper translation into English, has been a subject of debate among historians. Some Korean scholars argue that the designation ''nobi'' refers to a servant class system (compare with serf and indentured servant), whereas ''noye'' (distinct from ''nobi'') is the designation for slavery. However, many historians usually consider ''nobi'' to be slavery. The issue of whether nobi can be classified as slaves, serfs, or both, has been subject to academic debate. The motivations for abolishing the institution of nobi with the Gabo Reforms, along with the entire ''sinbun'' hierarchical class system, are sometimes questioned. Some claim that the reforms were due solely to the actions of pro-Japanese factions in the Korean government. However, another major impetus for the reforms was the occurrence of the Donghak Peasant Revolution, an anti-government, anti-''Yangban'' uprising of the lower classes in Korean society. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「nobi」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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