Rashamen

Japanese: らしゃめん

A derogatory term for Japanese women who became concubines for Westerners. It is often written as "Western concubines." Rashamen means "Rashamen" and originally meant "Menyo" (cotton sheep). It began to be used in the above way from the end of the Edo period due to a misunderstanding by ordinary Japanese people about the lifestyle and customs of Westerners. Kitagawa Morisada explains the situation at that time in his "Morisada Manko" as follows. He writes that "In Yokohama, Bushu, a woman who became a concubine for a Westerner was given the nickname "Rashamen"," and then "A Westerner put a dog on the throne and slept in the bedroom, and the local people mistakenly thought that Westerners rape dogs and sheep, and despised the virgin concubine of a barbarian like the dog and sheep, and began to call her Rashamen," and that this became the common name.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

西洋人のめかけ(妾)になった日本女性をののしった呼称。〈洋妾〉と書くことが多い。らしゃめんは〈羅紗綿(緬)〉で，もともとはメンヨウ(綿羊)を意味することばだった。幕末期からそれが前記のように使われるようになったのは，西洋人の生活風習に対する一般日本人の誤解によるものである。喜田川守貞は《守貞漫稿》の中で，その間の事情を次のように説いている。彼は〈武州横浜ニテ西洋人ノ妾トナル女ヲ異名シテ“ラシヤメン”ト云〉としたあと，〈洋人犬ヲ堂ニ上シ，又己カ閨房中ニモ臥シム，国人誤テ洋夷ハ犬及ヒ綿羊ヲ犯スト思ヒ，其犬羊ト同ク処女ノ夷妾トナルヲ卑メ，雑夫仮名ヲ付テ羅紗メント云初シ〉もので，それが通称のようになったものであるとしている。

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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