Oiran - High-class Japanese courtesan | Gorgeous beauty, great income and little-known secrets

The Edo period, also known as the Tokugawa period, was a "golden" period in feudal Japan's history, which lasted from 1603 to 1868. This period has always been told by contemporary Japanese through the mausoleum. pink glasses with story books or works of art. Especially the hidden corner of the women who work as sex workers.

Referring to the class "trafficking and selling powder" in Japan, the vast majority of us immediately think of Geisha and often only know about these girls. In fact, Geisha is one of the famous images, a symbol of Japanese culture, to refer to girls who sell their art, not their bodies, with skills in dancing, talking, etc. notch.

Meanwhile, the half-dressed women in Edo society at that time had a different name, were also beautiful, talented, even dressed more splendidly than Geisha, were respected, had a high income but the The price they pay is not small either. That is Oiran.

However, the story of "flower girls" in Japan throughout history has never been a streamlined thing that can be told in a day or two. It is a matter of diversity, variation, and depth that only dedicated individuals of history can discern.

Many people often confuse Oiran with Geisha, or vice versa. But basically, those are completely different concepts. Geisha was the job of entertaining guests at parties with traditional Japanese singing, and Oiran was a high ranking courtesan in the Edo period.

During the Edo period, Japan allowed brothels to be opened in places far from the center, called Yukaku. Yoshiwara was the most famous red light district in Edo at that time. Prostitutes are collectively known as Yujyo and Oiran - considered the highest level that prostitutes reach. There are many other theories about the origin of the word Oiran, one of which comes from a sentence said by girls working for Oiran, roughly "the big sisters of our place".

It's not easy to become Oiran

In Japanese culture, Oiran only serves Samurai and they have the right to choose the guests to serve. They are willing to refuse guests who are simply sexually demanding or unqualified.

Every day, these girls line up behind bars for customers to choose. Oiran costumes are often colorful, flashy and ostentatious. Their hairstyle is also elaborately decorated, not as simple as the usual Geisha. Because of this point of view, many people think that Oiran is actually a luxury prostitute.

However, Oiran meets guests at teahouses (Chaya). Guests have to spend a lot of money as well as show their financial ability and power to meet Oiran. It is completely wrong to assume that Oiran is someone who easily sells his body in exchange for money.

To use Oiran's services, guests need to go through three meetings. The first meeting is in a party, guests will order dishes with many servants to show their class. At this point, Oiran will sit from afar, not eating, talking and just observing and evaluating whether this is the person he wants to serve or not.

The second time is similar, but Oiran will sit a little closer to the guest. For the third time, the new guest had Oiran's service. At this meeting, the customer will become a regular customer, there will be a tray and chopsticks with their name on it, they will have to splurge more than 2 times before.

Additionally, if guests want to spend time with Oiran, guests must contact an intermediary, not meeting in person. At Yoshiwara, the status of an Oiran is higher than that of other high-ranking guests.

The Oiran courtesan procession is usually accompanied by Kamuro and Shinzou. In it, Kamuro are girls around 10 years old, trained to become Oiran in the future. Shinzou was only trained to be Yujyo.

However, Oiran is not merely a prostitute serving the pleasure needs of guests in the bedroom. A woman who becomes a famous Oiran must be a person of wisdom because they need to be sensitive and knowledgeable to be able to converse with guests who are powerful, high-ranking people in the nobility, politicians, and lords. . To become a real Oiran, a girl will also have to spend a lot of money to be trained and studied.

They also have to spend a lot of money hiring maids and other services to serve their reputation. Therefore, Oiran was also not the kind of person that anyone with money could be served.

If Geisha chose for themselves Kimono costumes with elegant and simple colors, Oiran chose colorful ones with many patterns. Oiran uses high heels and bare feet to move while Geisha will wear low socks and clogs, leaving her legs unseen.

Today, the Oiran in Japan only serve in the form of singing, chatting but not selling. The number of Oiran today compared to Geisha is also very small.

What was the income of the courtesan of the Edo period?

The Edo period can be considered as the golden age of Japanese prostitutes because in this era, the government allowed the opening of brothels or green buildings on the outskirts of cities, and the people's need for enjoyment. The Japanese population in this period was also very high, so of course the green buildings developed strongly and the income of the prostitutes must be said to be extremely large.

On average, a middle-class courtesan of the Yoshiwara floor - the most famous green building in Tokyo at that time, a year earned about 200 - 300 ishi, equivalent to about 1500 - 2250 thousand yen, converted into Vietnamese currency. Currently, the South is up to 3 billion - 4.5 billion. However, it is only the middle class, and the high-class prostitutes earn up to 500-600 ishi per year, which is nearly double the income of middle-class prostitutes, in the range of 7-9 billion dong.

A day schedule of a courtesan on the Yoshiwara floor:

6:00 - The prostitute wakes up, does personal hygiene and practice skills.

8:00 to 10:00 - This time the prostitutes use to clean the room, disinfect and deodorize the reception room.

10:00 - The prostitute has her first meal of the day and prepares to receive noon guests (Hirumise).

14:00 - The courtesan receives guests, the guests to this session are usually martial artists.

18:00 - The courtesan begins the evening towing time (Yorumise).

0:00 - The rowing time ends, whoever has a guest will serve the guest, whoever has no guest goes to sleep, ending his "practice" day.

The era of the courtesans has passed, but in what historical documents record about these girls working in the powder trade, during the flourishing period, it was considered a normal occupation, the profession also had to learn and hone skills and knowledge.

The thought of that era was also open and open, when the girls retired, they could return to their hometown to get married and become the woman of the family. However, it is not the lives of these girls who work in this particular profession that are covered with silk, but there is a lot of bitterness and sadness behind the nights of joy, many people then have to live alone and die in illness. - the price to pay for years of promiscuity.