also: わげもの
circular box; bentwood container
A traditional Japanese container made by bending thin wood into a circular or oval shape, often used for storing food or small items.
My grandmother put sweets in a circular bentwood box for me.
pawned article; item for pawning
Only with reading まげもの
Archaic or historical term for an item left at a pawnshop as collateral. Restricted to the reading まげもの.
See also: 質草
In the Edo period, people sometimes pawned their kimono as 曲げ物.
pawnshop
Standard kanji spelling for the reading まげもの.
Variant kanji spelling; less common than 曲げ物.
Rare kanji spelling associated with the reading わげもの.
Kana spelling for the reading わげもの, which is a less common reading.
曲げ物 literally means 'bent thing', from 曲げ (bending) + 物 (thing). The pawnbroking sense may derive from the practice of bending or folding items for storage, but the exact connection is uncertain.