ragpicking; ragpicker
Refers to the historical occupation of collecting rags and scrap materials, or the person who does it. Often associated with pre-modern or early modern Japan.
In the Edo period, ragpickers went around town collecting old cloth.
His grandfather made a living as a ragpicker when he was young.
ragpicker; wastepaper collector
Standard kanji spelling for the occupation or activity.
Mixed kana-kanji spelling sometimes seen in modern writing.
Compound of 屑 (くず, 'scrap, waste') and 拾い (ひろい, 'picking up'), the noun form of 拾う (ひろう, 'to pick up').