partly burned charcoal; charcoal that has been extinguished
Refers to charcoal that has been put out before burning completely, often used in traditional settings or for specific crafts.
Partly burned charcoal remained in the brazier.
There is a technique of drawing pictures using extinguished charcoal.
servant boy at a brothel or teahouse (archaic)
Archaic term for a young male servant in Edo-period pleasure quarters or teahouses. Not used in modern Japanese.
In Edo-period brothels, a boy called keshizumi did odd jobs.
Compound of 消し (keshi, 'extinguishing') + 炭 (sumi, 'charcoal'). The archaic servant sense may derive from the dark, sooty appearance of the boys or their association with charcoal fires.