also: かくしめ
noun
secret mistress; hidden lover
Archaic term for a woman kept secretly as a mistress or lover, often in historical or literary contexts.
江戸時代の文献には、大名の隠し女についての記述がある。
In Edo-period documents, there are descriptions of a daimyo's secret mistress.
Standard kanji form for the reading かくしおんな.
Alternate reading かくしめ is archaic and rarely used.
Compound of 隠し (kakushi, 'hidden') + 女 (onna/me, 'woman'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term follows a common pattern for describing concealed relationships in pre-modern Japanese.