grain sampler; rice thief
A pointed tool inserted into a rice bag to extract a sample; also refers to the person using it. The 'thief' gloss is metaphorical, as it 'steals' a bit of grain.
They use a grain sampler to extract rice from the bag and check its quality.
In old rice wholesalers, the grain sampler was an important tool.
Standard kanji spelling; 刺し suggests piercing/extracting.
Variant spelling using 差し (insert/put in); also seen.
Abbreviated form without okurigana; less common.
Abbreviated variant; rarely used.
Compound of 米 (こめ, rice) and 刺し (さし, piercing/stabbing), from the verb 刺す (さす, to pierce). The tool is named for its action of piercing into a rice bag to extract a sample.