Purchasing - Miuke

Japanese: 身請 - みうけ

To redeem a person who has been pawned or sold for an indentured term by paying a price. In the Middle Ages and early modern times, people borrowed money by pawning children, sold them for a term of indenture, or bought them back with a special repurchase agreement. In this case, the pawner or seller would pay the ransom and redeem the person, which was called a "purchase." Pawning and selling people gradually transitioned to indentured servitude, but indentured servitude contracts for prostitutes and women retained the essence of human trafficking, and these indentured servant contracts usually contained a purchase agreement such as, "If this person wishes to be purchased, please provide a certain amount of gratitude. In either case, you should pay the amount for the indenture until the end. If it is a case of the person's advancement, there is no need to ask for anything."

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

質物となっている人や，年季に売られた人を，対価を支払って請け戻すこと。中世･近世前半には，子女などを質に置いて借金することや年季売あるいは本金(銭)返(買戻し特約付売買)などが行われていた。この場合に，質置主や売主が本金(すなわち身代金)等を支払って，身柄を請け出すことを身請といった。人の質置や年季売はしだいに年季奉公に移行したが，遊女や飯盛女などの年季奉公契約は人身売買の実質をとどめており，これらの奉公人請状には〈この者，身請なされたく申す仁（じん）これあり候はば，御礼金何程お取りなされ，何方へなりとも，年季の外末々に至るまでお出し下さるべく候，本人出世の儀に候えば，けっして申しぶんこれ無く候〉というような身請承諾文言が記載されるのがふつうであった。

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

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