bill collector for night's entertainment; follower who ensures payment
Historical term for a person who accompanied a customer after a night out to collect payment, often associated with red-light districts. The 'followers' gloss refers to the same role.
In Edo-period red-light districts, a tsukeuma would follow the customer and collect the bill.
Standard kanji spelling.
Variant spelling without okurigana.
Compound of 付け (tsuke, 'bill, account') and 馬 (uma, 'horse'), originally referring to a mounted attendant who followed customers to ensure payment. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.