しょうめん

Japanese

For pronunciation and definitions of しょうめん – see the following entry.

[noun] [from early 1200s] front, façade (as of a building)

[noun] [from 1484] direct front side of something

[noun] [from 1903] straightforwardness, directness (especially in dealing with something)

[noun] [from 1430] (Noh, theater) the front of the main stage

[noun] [from 1803] (sumo) the north side of the 土俵場 (dohyōba, “the raised square wrestling ring”)

[noun] [late 1700s – ???] (historical) in the Shinagawa area of Edo, the front area of a brothel where prostitutes would show off and attract customers

(This term, しょうめん (shōmen), is the hiragana spelling of the above term.)