Shudo (衆道 shudō or shūdō) is the Japanese tradition of age-structured homosexuality prevalent in samurai society from the medieval period until the end of the 19th century. The word is an abbreviation of wakashudo (若衆道), "the Way of the young" or more precisely, the Way of young (若 waka) men (衆 shu). The "do" (道) is related to the Chinese word tao, considered to be a path to awakening.