Itadaki - Thank you

Japanese: イタダキ - いただき

…In ancient times, many peddlers were women, and in the classics they were referred to as hisagime (saleswomen) and hisagime (saleswomen). Female peddlers in Abemura, Kaifu County, Tokushima Prefecture (now Yuki Town) were known as itadaki (a name based on the way they carried things overhead), and it is noteworthy that the names given to peddlers were based on the way they carried things, such as kaneri (Yamaguchi and Shimane Prefectures), sasage, botefuri, katagi, and zaru. An indicator of the ancient form of peddling is whether the time of the transaction and the people visited remained roughly the same. …

From 【Specialty】

…In fishing villages, there were many female peddlers who traveled around selling fresh fish, shellfish, and seaweed to nearby farming villages. These peddlers were called itadaki, botefuri, otata, etc., and each had a specific clientele to which they sold. In many cases, these clients were fixed for each peddler, and many of them maintained the same relationship for several generations, passing it on from mother to daughter or mother-in-law to daughter-in-law. …

From 【Hanjo】

…In fishing villages, wives often traveled to neighboring villages and towns to sell the fish and shellfish their husbands caught. These women peddlers were often called itadaki, sasage, kaberi, shoikagobote, katsugikko, otata, etc., based on the way they carried their goods. Some of these women engaged in more extensive peddling activities throughout the region. …

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "Itadaki" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…古来，行商人は婦人が多く，古典にも販女（ひさぎめ），販婦（ひさぎめ）の名で記された。徳島県海部郡阿部村(現，由岐町)の婦人行商はイタダキ(頭上運搬にもとづく呼称)の名で知られ，カネリ(山口･島根両県)，ササゲ，ボテフリ，カタギ，ザルなど，運搬法が行商人の呼称となっている点が注目される。行商の古態をさぐる指標となる事柄は，取引の時期と訪ねる相手方が，ほぼ固定しているか否かにある。…

【得意】より

…漁村では，獲れた鮮魚や貝･藻を近郊の農村などに売り歩く婦人の行商が，多くみられた。これらは，イタダキやボテフリ，オタタなどと呼ばれたが，それぞれ，売り歩く先に得意をもっていた。これらの得意先は，行商人によって固定している場合が多く，母から娘へ，あるいは姑から嫁へ引き継がれ，数代にわたってその関係を維持してきたものも多い。…