It is said that female accounted for only 20 percent and unmarried males occupied large part of the population of Edo city; in those circumstances, makanai vendors sold box lunches to lower-ranking samurai, who served as the government officials under many restrictions.
---江戸は女性の比率が二割といわれ独身の男性が非常に多く、宮使いで制約の多かった下級武士の専門の弁当屋として成り立っていた。