person who sits between host and guest of honor at a drinking party; companion at a drinking party
Refers to a person who sits between the host and the guest of honor at a formal drinking party, often to facilitate conversation and ensure the guest is attended to. The term carries an honorific nuance (御).
At the banquet, the companion sits between the guest of honor and the host.
As the companion, he made sure the conversation didn't lag.
Standard kanji spelling for this term.
Alternate kanji spelling; less common but attested.
The term is composed of the honorific prefix 御 (お) and 相 (あい), which here means 'between' or 'mutual', referring to the person who sits between two parties. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it is a specialized term from traditional Japanese drinking party etiquette.