Everyone knows about geisha or artist literally, but what about oiran? Oiran used to be higher than geisha back in Edo period. They wore better garments and more flamboyant hair ornaments parallel to the skills they possessed. Yet, people think they are the same as geisha. So, who were oiran? Image Via - Pinterest Oiran were courtesans with hierarchy. Tayuu being the highest and Tenjin being the second. They were not to be put the same as any prostitute. Life-time Training During Edo period, the economy growth was not well; high taxed, yet low income. Poor families with daughters would usually have their daughters sold to okiya where they trained the girls. The girls were fed and dressed well in exchange of their service. Girls at the service of an oiran were called kamuro; usually in pairs. They worked as 'younger sisters' who assisted their 'older sisters' in small errands such as dressing, decorating, cleaning the room, etc Image Via - Pinterest When they reached teens, they would be considered to help their sisters to assist customers. If they were good, they would be promoted to 'shinzou' and possibly 'furisode-shinzou' where they would wear long-sleeved kimono. If a shinzou was deemed good enough to go up, they would be promoted to tomesode-shinzou with short-sleeved kimono as well as having a kamuro to assist her. When they reached around 16 or 17 years old, they would start taking customer or even finding a patron. The process of deflowering was called 'mizuage'. It was almost impossible to rise up to Tayuu rank unless she was exceptionally talented. An oiran must learn many arts starting from dancing, singing, playing instruments, calligraphy, poetry, flower arranging, and even the art of acting. They must deal with various customers from various backgrounds and it was their job to be able to relate and serve their clients well. It included having sex as well. Heavy Burden Being the trend-setter, oiran must dress well. Their hair arrangement, date-hyogo, along with the ornaments could weigh 10-20kg. Their layers of kimono could go up to 30kg. Their footwear, koma-geta or also known as mitsu-hashi, could weigh around 3kg each. Image 1 Via - tanuki-kimono.tumblr.com
Image 2 Via - Pinterest The higher the status was, the more kamuro a Tayuu could get. Not only was she trying to pay her debt, she must pay for her younger sisters' expenses including clothing, hair ornaments as well as food. Although they had the rights to refuse clients, they usually did not get to choose because of their debt. The business was banned long ago although the culture is still being preserved. You can get to see an Oiran Parade in Tokyo and you can book a service by a Tayuu in Kyoto.
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