also: ひしがきかいせん
noun
large Japanese junk (Edo period)
Historical term for a type of large coastal trading vessel used during the Edo period, often associated with the Higaki shipping guild. Compare with 弁財船 and 千石船.
菱垣廻船は江戸時代に大坂と江戸を結ぶ重要な輸送手段だった。
The Higaki kaisen was an important means of transport connecting Osaka and Edo during the Edo period.
The name derives from the diamond-shaped lattice (菱垣) pattern on the ship's gunwales, combined with 廻船 (kaisen, 'coastal trading vessel').