Homachi

Japanese: 帆待 - ほまち

It refers to the personal baggage of sailors used to pay the crew of cargo ships, baggage secretly loaded by sailors, temporary personal income, and extra income or perks of their job. It has the same meaning as "homachi" or "matsubori," which are derived from "tomochi," which refers to rice fields, but the sailors of the Kitamae ships called their personal baggage "hamachi," which they sold at the port of Homachi (Kazemachi) to earn temporary income. Hamachi is thought to be a corruption of the fishery product hamatsuto, which may have been confused with the nautical term "homachi." [Kanazashi Shozo]

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

買積船の船員給与に充てられた，船員の自分荷物や，船員がひそかに積み込んだ自分荷物，臨時の私的収入，余得･役得的収入をいう。ほまち田を指す〈外持〉が転化した〈ほまち〉〈まつぼり〉と同様の意味をもつが，北前船の船員は自分荷物をハマチといい，帆待(風待)港で売って臨時の収入とした。ハマチは水産物ハマツトの転訛とみられるが，これが航海用語の帆待と混同されたものであろう。【金指正三】

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