drowned body; corpse found in water
Colloquial and somewhat dated term for a drowned body, especially one that has swollen. Originates from the name of an Edo-period sumo wrestler, Narusegawa Dozaemon, who was pale and plump, resembling a drowned corpse.
I heard they pulled a drowned body out of the river.
People in the old days called a drowned corpse 'dozaemon'.
Formal, neutral term for a drowned body, used in news and official contexts. 土左衛門 is slangy and carries a historical, somewhat irreverent tone.
Standard kanji spelling; derived from the name of a sumo wrestler.
Kana spelling is common in modern writing, especially when the historical origin is not emphasized.
From the name of Edo-period sumo wrestler Narusegawa Dozaemon (成瀬川土左衛門), whose pale, plump appearance was humorously likened to a drowned corpse. The term became a slang expression for a drowned body.