It is said that, in ancient times, women worked with a mortar and pestle, and a Department of Shomai was especially established in the miyake (Imperial-controlled territory) in the Yamato Dynasty.
古代には女性が臼と杵を使って作業を行い、大和朝廷の屯倉には特に舂米部（しょうまいべ）を置いたと伝えられている。