also: おさきぼう
noun
front palanquin bearer
Historical term for the person who carried the front of a palanquin (駕籠). Rarely used literally in modern Japanese.
江戸時代、先棒は駕籠の前方を担ぐ役目だった。
In the Edo period, the sakibō was the person who carried the front of the palanquin.
noun
Figurative use, almost always as お先棒. Refers to a person used by someone else to do their dirty work, often without realizing it. Similar to 'pawn' or 'stooge'.
See also: お先棒
彼は上司のお先棒を担いで、不正な取引に関わった。
He acted as his boss's cat's-paw and got involved in illegal deals.
あの政治家は、ただの業界のお先棒に過ぎない。
That politician is nothing more than a tool of the industry.
手先 also means 'pawn' or 'underling', but is more general and can refer to a subordinate or agent, while お先棒 specifically implies being used as a tool for someone else's scheme.
傀儡 is a more formal term for 'puppet', often used in political contexts, whereas お先棒 is colloquial and emphasizes being a tool for a specific task.
Compound of 先 (saki, 'front') and 棒 (bō, 'pole' or 'staff'), referring to the front carrying pole of a palanquin. The figurative sense developed from the idea of being the person who does the physical work at the front, i.e., a tool for someone else.