Oiran

Oiran (花魁) were courtesans in Japan. The oiran were considered a type of yūjo (遊女) "woman of pleasure" or prostitute. However, they are distinguished from the yūjo in that they were entertainers, and many became celebrities of their times outside the pleasure districts. Their art and fashions often set trends among the wealthy and, because of this, cultural aspects of oiran traditions continue to be preserved to this day.

History

The oiran arose in the Edo period (1600–1868). At this time, laws were passed restricting brothels to walled districts set some distance from the city center. In the major cities these were the Shimabara in Kyoto, the Shinmachi in Osaka, and in Edo (present-day Tokyo), the Yoshiwara. These rapidly grew into large, self-contained "pleasure quarters" offering all manner of entertainments. Within, a courtesan’s birth rank held no distinction, which was fortunate considering many of the courtesans originated as the daughters of impoverished families who were sold into this lifestyle as indentured servants.^[1] Instead, they were categorized based on their beauty, character, education, and artistic ability.

Oiran rank was established after the tayū (太夫) and koshi (格子) ranks' glory dwindled.^[2]^[3] Tayu were considered the highest rank of courtesan or prostitute and were considered suitable for the daimyo. In the mid-1700s, courtesan ranks disappeared and courtesans of all classes were collectively known as "oiran".^[4]

Negative misconceptions are often attached to the oiran of Edo Japan due to the stigma given to modern prostitutes, but the two professions differed. As oiran were also entertainers they were valued for much more than just their looks and sexual prowess. In order to be considered an oiran, a woman had to be educated in a number of skills, including in the traditional arts of chadō (Japanese tea ceremony), ikebana (flower arranging), and calligraphy.^[5] In addition, clients expected them to be knowledgeable in scholarly matters, and so it was essential that courtesans had the abilities to carry witty and intelligent conversation and write eloquently.^[6] It was evident then that “the [popularity] of a bimbo, no matter how gorgeous, would have been limited [in Edo society]."^[7]

The isolation within the closed districts resulted in the oiran becoming highly ritualised in many ways and increasingly removed from the changing society. Strict etiquette governed appropriate behavior. Their speech preserved the formal court standards rather than the common language. A casual visitor would not be accepted; their clients would summon them with a formal invitation, and the oiran would pass through the streets in a formal procession with a retinue of servants. The costumes worn became more and more ornate and complex, culminating in a style with eight or more pins and combs in the hair, and many prescribed layers of highly ornamented garments derived from those of the earliest oiran from the early Edo period. Similarly, the entertainments offered were derived from those of the original oiran generations before.^[4] Ultimately, the culture of the oiran grew increasingly rarefied and remote from everyday life, and their clients dwindled.

The rise of the geisha ended the era of the oiran. Geisha practiced the common entertainments enjoyed by the people of that time and were much more accessible to the casual visitor. Their popularity grew rapidly and eclipsed that of the oiran. The last oiran record was in 1761. The few remaining women still currently practicing the arts of the oiran (without the sexual aspect) do so as a preservation of cultural heritage rather than as a profession or lifestyle.^[8]

Tayū

Tayū, unlike geisha, also offered conservative intimacies. They were courtesans as opposed to prostitutes as they provided traditional entertainment (dance, music, conversation) much as the geisha did. Thus, courtesan is the preferred term as prostitutes do not provide these services. Tayū were supposed to be as an ideal wife, for a single night at least. As married women in the Edo period would have, they blackened their teeth, and tied their obi in front. It is thought by some that this was for easy removal, but it was also just another common practice for married women, symbolic and akin to the modern practice of wearing a wedding ring. It was taboo for tayū to remove their kimono during intimacy. Evidence for this can be found in shunga prints, in which courtesans are almost always depicted with their clothes still on. They only entertained the noblest of samurai and ruling lords and often went to the Palaces of Kyoto. Unlike prostitutes of the day, they could also choose or deny anyone that they wished to spend time with and usually did not have sex on their first meeting. In Yoshiwara, tayū went extinct and were replaced by oiran in the 1760s.^[2] During World War II, when any show of luxury was seen as negative, tayū culture suffered also. Increasingly strict rules on prostitution made continuation of the vocation difficult.

Today, there are tayū who entertain as geisha do, no longer providing sex. However there are less than five, in comparison to the three hundred geisha in Kyoto today. There used to be six "Flower Towns" but in the mid-20th century, the accepted number became five, dropping Shimabara after the fall of tayū. Some still recognize Shimabara as a "Flower Town", as geisha still work there with the tayū often and the activity of the tayū is slowly growing.

Etymology

The word oiran comes from the Japanese phrase oira no tokoro no nēsan (おいらの所の姉さん) which translates into "my elder sister." When written in Japanese, it consists of two kanji, 花 meaning "flower", and 魁 meaning "leader" or "first." Technically, only the high-class prostitutes of Yoshiwara were called oiran, although the term is widely applied to all.^[9]

Courtesan parade

The Bunsui Sakura Matsuri Oiran Dōchū is a free event held in Tsubame, Niigata. Dōchū is a shortened form of oiran-dochu, also the name for the walk the top courtesans made around the quarter or the parade they made to escort their guests. This parade features three oiran in full regalia — Shinano, Sakura, and Bunsui — among the cherry blossoms in April with approximately 70 accompanying servants. Each oiran in 15-cm tall geta parades in the distinctive gait, giving the parade an alternate name, the Dream Parade of Echigo (Echigo no yume-dochu). The event is extremely popular across the country, with many people in Japan applying for the three oiran and servant roles of the parade.

The Ōsu Street Performers' Festival is an event held around Ōsu Kannon Temple in Nagoya yearly around the beginning of October.The highlight of this two-day festival is the slow procession of oiran through the Ōsu Kannon shopping arcade. Thousands of spectators crowd the shopping streets on these days to get close enough to photograph the oiran and their retinue of male bodyguards and entourage of apprentices (young girls in the distinctive red kimono, white face paint and loose, long black hair reminiscent of Shinto priestesses).

In popular culture

In the TV miniseries Shōgun, John Blackthorne (Anjin-san) is presented with an oiran as a reward for his faithful service to Lord Toranaga.
The life of the oiran was depicted in the movie Sakuran (2007), starring Anna Tsuchiya. There is also a manga by this title which the film is based upon.
In the manga and anime series Rurouni Kenshin, a former oiran named Yumi was the lover of one of the primary antagonists, Shishio.
In the manga and anime series Peacemaker Kurogane, if not working as a shinobi for the Choshu, Akesato is a high-class oiran in the Shimabara district.
In the anime and manga Hell Girl, Enma Ai-san's third companion, Hone Onna is an oiran.
"Oiran" a song by Japanese singer Shiina Ringo from her album "Heisei Fuuzoku"
Koda Kumi, a Japanese singer, uses an "oiran" theme in the song "So Nice feat. Mr. Blistah" and its accompanying music video, on her 10th album, Japonesque.

References

^ Hickey 26–27
^ ^a ^b Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology, 1600-1900Columbia University Press, 2008
^ The life of an amorous woman. Taylor & Francis. Commentary "APPENDIX III. THE HIERARCHY OF COURTESANS" p. 286
^ ^a ^b Swinton 37
^ Hickey 27
^ Hickey 28.
^ Dalby 67
^ Dalby 64
^ http://www.kansai-u.ac.jp/Fc_let/colomn/colomn41.html 「花魁は、江戸の吉原にしかいません。吉原にも当初は太夫がいたのですが、揚屋が消滅したのにともなって、太夫もいなくなりました。その替わりに出てきたのが、花魁なのです。ですから、花魁は江戸吉原専用の語なのです。」

Dalby, Liza Crihfield. “Courtesan and Geisha: The Real Women of the Pleasure Quarter.” The Women of the Pleasure Quarter: Japanese Paintings and Prints of the Floating World. Ed. Paul Anbinder. New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1995. 47-66. Print.
Hickey, Gary. Beauty and Desire in Edo Period Japan. New York: National Gallery of Australia, 1998. Print.
Swinton, Elizabeth de Sabato. “Reflections on the Floating World.” The Women of the Pleasure Quarter: Japanese Paintings and Prints of the Floating World. Ed. Paul Anbinder. New York: Hudson Hills Press, 1995. 13-46. Print.

External links

[1] Hickey 26–27

[emjl-2] Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology, 1600-1900Columbia University Press, 2008

[3] The life of an amorous woman. Taylor & Francis. Commentary "APPENDIX III. THE HIERARCHY OF COURTESANS" p. 286

[Swinton_37-4] Swinton 37

[5] Hickey 27

[6] Hickey 28.

[7] Dalby 67

[8] Dalby 64

[9] ttp://www.kansai-u.ac.jp/Fc_let/colomn/colomn41.html 「花魁は、江戸の吉原にしかいません。吉原にも当初は太夫がいたのですが、揚屋が消滅したのにともなって、太夫もいなくなりました。その替わりに出てきたのが、花魁なのです。ですから、花魁は江戸吉原専用の語なのです。」

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