black-market rice
Historical term for rice sold illegally on the black market, especially during and after World War II when rice was rationed.
In the postwar food shortage, black-market rice was traded at high prices.
They say his grandfather made a living dealing in black-market rice.
Standard kanji spelling for this historical term.
Katakana spelling sometimes used for emphasis or in historical contexts.
Mixed kana-kanji spelling; less common but still encountered.
Compound of 闇 (yami, 'darkness; underground') and 米 (kome, 'rice'), with rendaku voicing of こめ to ごめ. The term emerged during wartime and postwar rationing to describe rice sold outside official channels.