ラシャめん

noun

sheep

Rare term for sheep; the word is usually written in kana. This sense is uncommon and may be encountered only in historical or specialized contexts.

• 古ふるい文ぶん献けんでは、ラシャめんが羊ひつじを指さすことがある。

  In old documents, ラシャめん can refer to sheep.

noun

foreigner's mistress

Obsolete derogatory term for a Japanese woman who was the mistress of a foreign man, especially during the late Edo to early Meiji period. The term originated from the belief that Western sailors kept sheep on their ships for sexual purposes.

See also: 洋妾

• 幕ばく末まつの開かい港こう地ちでは、ラシャめんと呼よばれる女じょ性せいたちがいた。

  In the treaty ports of the late Edo period, there were women called ラシャめん.