Kasuga Shrine

…It is also called jinnin. It refers to the low-ranking priests and people called yoriudo who were active in the manorial society from the end of the Heian period to the end of the Muromachi period. It is believed that they descend from the outcasts who were called shindo (sacred slaves) or shinsen (shrine subordinates) in the Ritsuryo class system during the Nara period and served as serviles to shrines, cultivating the fields on their territory, making furniture, cleaning the shrine grounds, and other miscellaneous tasks. They were placed under the head priest and chief priest positions and shared various duties and responsibilities according to their respective traditions and customs, but depending on the relationship between the head shrine and each subordinate shrine in the shrine organization (the relationship between the head shrine and each subordinate shrine), jinnin who served the head shrine full-time were called honsha jinnin, and jinnin who were scattered in the manors centered around subordinate shrines in various regions and engaged in the duties of subordinate shrines as yoriudo were called sanzai jinnin. …

*Some of the terminology explanations that refer to "Kasuga Jinjin" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…〈じんにん〉ともいう。平安時代末期から室町時代末期にかけての荘園制社会において，さかんに活動した神社の下級神職者や寄人（よりうど）と呼ばれた人をさす。奈良時代に律令制の身分制度で〈神奴（しんど∥かみやつこ）〉〈神賤（しんせん）〉とされ，神社に隷属して領地田畠の耕作，調度品の製造，社域内の清掃をはじめとする雑役を務めた賤民の系譜をひくものとみられている。神主職，宮司職の配下に置かれ，種々の任務･職掌をそれぞれの伝統･習慣に応じて分担したが，神社組織での本末関係(本社と各末社との関係)により，本社に常勤奉仕する神人を〈本社神人〉，各地の末社を中核とする社領荘園に散在し，寄人として末社の任務に従事した神人を〈散在神人〉と称した。…

※「春日神人」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報