noun
broker; land agent; unreliable person; great liar
Historical term for a broker or land agent, often with a negative connotation of being a smooth talker or liar. The name literally means 'thirteen-hundred shop', possibly from the idea that out of a thousand things they say, three hundred are lies. Rare in modern Japanese.
江戸時代には、千三屋と呼ばれる仲買人が土地の売買を仲介した。
In the Edo period, brokers called senmitsuya mediated land transactions.
あの男は千三屋みたいなもので、話を鵜呑みにしてはいけない。
That man is like a senmitsuya; you shouldn't take his words at face value.
A straightforward word for 'liar', whereas 千三屋 implies a professional or habitual liar in the context of business dealings.
The term 千三屋 (せんみつや) is said to derive from the phrase '千に三つ', meaning 'three out of a thousand', implying that only a small fraction of what they say is true. The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it reflects the low trust placed in brokers during the Edo period.