Oiran
Encyclopedia
were courtesans in Japan
. The oiran were considered a type of "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.
(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. Instead, they were categorized based on their beauty, character, education, and artistic ability.
Among the oiran, the was considered the highest rank of courtesan or prostitute and were considered suitable for the daimyo
. In the mid-1700s did courtesan rankings disappear and courtesans of all classes were collectively known as just "oiran".
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
. 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. It was evident then that “the [popularity] of a bimbo, no matter how gorgeous, would have been limited [in Edo society]."
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. 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.
, 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.
. 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
).
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The oiran were considered a type of "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 periodEdo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
(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
Shimabara, Kyoto
Shimabara was a courtesans' district in Kyoto. It was established in 1640 for a brothel owned by Hara Saburoemon, and was closed in 1958, when prostitution was outlawed in Japan. The name Shimabara most likely refers to the large gate that resembled the gate of Shimabara castle in Bizen...
in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, the Shinmachi
Shinmachi
Shinmachi was a courtesan's district in Osaka, built between 1615 and 1623, and operating until its destruction in World War II. It was situated roughly two kilometers southwest of Nakanoshima...
in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, and in Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
(present-day Tokyo), the Yoshiwara
Yoshiwara
Yoshiwara was a famous Akasen district in Edo, present-day Tōkyō, Japan.In the early 17th century, there was widespread male and female prostitution throughout the cities of Kyoto, Edo, and Osaka. To counter this, an order of Tokugawa Hidetada of the Tokugawa shogunate restricted prostitution to...
. 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. Instead, they were categorized based on their beauty, character, education, and artistic ability.
Among the oiran, the was considered the highest rank of courtesan or prostitute and were considered suitable for the daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
. In the mid-1700s did courtesan rankings disappear and courtesans of all classes were collectively known as just "oiran".
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
Japanese tea ceremony
The Japanese tea ceremony, also called the Way of Tea, is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha, powdered green tea. In Japanese, it is called . The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called...
), ikebana
Ikebana
is the Japanese art of flower arrangement, also known as .-Etymology:"Ikebana" is from the Japanese and . Possible translations include "giving life to flowers" and "arranging flowers".- Approach :...
(flower arranging), and calligraphy
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
. 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. It was evident then that “the [popularity] of a bimbo, no matter how gorgeous, would have been limited [in Edo society]."
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. Ultimately, the culture of the oiran grew increasingly rarefied and remote from everyday life, and their clients dwindled.
The rise of the geisha
Geisha
, Geiko or Geigi are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.-Terms:...
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.
Etymology
The word oiran comes from the Japanese phrase which translates into "my elder sister." When written in Japanese, it consists of two kanjiKanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
, 花 meaning "flower", and 魁 meaning "leader" or "first." Technically, only the high-class prostitutes of Yoshiwara
Yoshiwara
Yoshiwara was a famous Akasen district in Edo, present-day Tōkyō, Japan.In the early 17th century, there was widespread male and female prostitution throughout the cities of Kyoto, Edo, and Osaka. To counter this, an order of Tokugawa Hidetada of the Tokugawa shogunate restricted prostitution to...
were called oiran, although the term is widely applied to all.
Courtesan parade
The Bunsui Sakura Matsuri Oiran Dōchū is a free event held in Tsubame, NiigataTsubame, Niigata
is a city located in Niigata, Japan.The city was founded on March 31, 1954 by merging with 4 towns and villages. Nearly 52 years later on March 20, 2006, the old Tsubame merged with Bunsui and Yoshida from Nishikanbara District to form the new city of Tsubame....
. 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
Geta (footwear)
Geta are a form of traditional Japanese footwear that resemble both clogs and flip-flops. They are a kind of sandal with an elevated wooden base held onto the foot with a fabric thong to keep the foot well above the ground. They are worn with traditional Japanese clothing such as kimono or yukata,...
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
Ōsu Kannon
is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon sect located in Ōsu in central Nagoya, Japan. It belongs to the Owari Thirty-three Kannon.- History :The official name is Kitanosan Shinpuku-ji Hōshō-in, but is populary known as 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
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
priestesses
Miko
is a Japanese term that anciently meant a "female shaman, spirit medium" who conveyed oracles from kami , and currently means a "shrine maiden; virgin consecrated to a deity" who serves at Shinto shrines.-Word:...
).
In popular culture
- In the TV miniseries ShōgunShogun (TV miniseries)Shōgun is an American television miniseries based on the namesake novel by James Clavell. As with the novel, the title is often shown as Shōgun in order to conform to Hepburn romanization. The miniseries was broadcast over five nights, between September 15 and September 19, 1980 on NBC in the...
, 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 SakuranSakuran, is a manga series created by Moyoco Anno. The manga is about a girl, Kiyoha who becomes a tayu or oiran courtesan.- Plot :...
(2007), starring Anna TsuchiyaAnna Tsuchiyais a Japanese singer, lyricist, actress and semi-retired model.Tsuchiya was born to a Japanese mother and an American father of Polish-Irish descent from Buffalo, New York. In her earliest years, she spoke English and Japanese...
. - In the manga and anime series Rurouni KenshinRurouni Kenshin, also known as Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The fictional setting takes place during the early Meiji period in Japan. The story is about a fictional assassin named Himura Kenshin, from the Bakumatsu who becomes a wanderer to...
, a former oiran named Yumi was the lover of one of the primary antagonists, ShishioShishio Makoto, known in the anime in Western order as Makoto Shishio, is a fictional character from the manga and anime series Rurouni Kenshin. He is the primary antagonist of the series' Kyoto arc...
. - In the manga and anime series Peacemaker KuroganePeacemaker Kuroganeis a historical fiction manga series written and illustrated created by . It is unrelated to the Peace Maker manga by Ryōji Minagawa. The story begins in 19th century Japan before the Meiji Restoration, a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japan's political and social structure while...
, if not working as a shinobi for the Choshu, Akesato is a high-class oiran in the ShimabaraShimabara, KyotoShimabara was a courtesans' district in Kyoto. It was established in 1640 for a brothel owned by Hara Saburoemon, and was closed in 1958, when prostitution was outlawed in Japan. The name Shimabara most likely refers to the large gate that resembled the gate of Shimabara castle in Bizen...
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 RingoShiina Ringo, known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer-songwriter, music composer and music producer. She is also the founder and lead vocalist of the band Tokyo Jihen.She describes herself as ""....
from her album "Heisei FuuzokuHeisei Fuuzoku, is a 2007 album by Shiina Ringo and Saitō Neko. The vinyl record version and the DVD "Daiginjou" were released on April 25, 2007.-Outline:This album serves as the sound track for the movie "Sakuran" ....
"
Further reading
- DeBecker, J.E (1971). The Nightless City or The History of the Yoshiwara Yukwaku.
- Longstreet, Stephen and Ethel (1970). Yoshiwara: The Pleasure Quarters of Old Tokyo.
- Seigle, Cecilia Segawa (1993). Yoshiwara: The Glittering World of the Japanese Courtesan.