輿
こ
し
Meanings
1
Historical enclosed seat carried by bearers, used for transporting people or, in funerary contexts, a corpse.
In the Edo period, feudal lords traveled by palanquin.
In the funeral procession, the bier carrying the body moved slowly.
2
portable shrine
Used in festivals to carry a deity; more commonly called 神輿 (みこし) in modern Japanese.
At the festival, young people carried the portable shrine through the town.
Expressions
- 玉の輿jeweled palanquin · marrying into wealth and status
- 逆玉の輿man marrying into wealth and power
- 御輿を担ぐwheedle someone into doing something; manipulate someone into action · carry a portable shrine
- 玉の輿に乗るmarry into wealth or status
- 女氏無くして玉の輿に乗るeven a woman of low birth can marry into wealth and status