Ichizenmeshiya - Ichizenmeshiya

During the Edo period, there were modest restaurants at teahouses along the way that would invite diners in with the request to "serve up a bowl of rice," and on the other hand, there were low-class restaurants that catered to lower-class city workers; both were called "ichizenmeshiya." The word's origin comes from the practice of only serving one bowl of rice, which was considered a low-class way of eating. In addition to rice, simple side dishes, as well as alcohol and sweets, were also served. After the Meiji period, the former became restaurants and rest areas in front of train stations, while the latter increased in number as the number of urban workers increased, eventually changing their name to simple cafeterias or public restaurants.

[Yoichi Harashima]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代には、道中の立場(たてば)茶屋などで「一膳飯をあがれ」と呼び込んだ粗末な飲食店があり、一方では都会の下層労働者を相手とした下級飲食店があり、いずれも一膳飯屋とよばれた。下級な食事法と考えられていた、1杯限りの盛り切り飯を食べさせたのが語源である。米飯だけでなく、簡単な総菜はもちろん、酒や菓子類も提供された。明治以後、前者は鉄道の駅前などの食堂、休憩所となり、後者は都市労働者の増大に伴ってその数が増加し、やがて簡易食堂、大衆食堂などに名称を変えていった。

［原島陽一］

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