female servant hired at a lady-in-waiting's own expense (archaic)
Historical term from the Edo period referring to a personal maid employed privately by a lady-in-waiting in the ōoku (inner palace) of Edo Castle, as opposed to official servants paid by the shogunate.
In the ōoku, senior ladies-in-waiting were allowed to have their own private maids.
The private maid attended to her employer's personal needs.
Compound of 部屋 (へや, 'room') and 方 (がた, 'person in charge'), literally 'room person'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is associated with the Edo-period ōoku hierarchy.