Oiran

is a collective term for the highest-ranking courtesans in Japanese history, who were considered to be above common prostitutes for their more refined entertainment skills and training in the traditional arts. Divided into a number of ranks within this category, the highest rank of were the, who were considered to be set apart from other due to their intensive training in the traditional arts and the fact that they lived and worked in Kyoto, the political capital of Japan, which remained the cultural heart of the country when the seat of political power moved to Tokyo. Though by definition also engaged in prostitution, higher-ranking had a degree of choice in which customers they took.
The term originated in Yoshiwara, the red light district of Edo in the 1750s, and is applied to all ranks of high level courtesans in historical Japan.
The services of were well known for being exclusive and expensive, with typically only entertaining the upper classes of society, gaining the nickname for their perceived ability to steal the hearts and match the wits of upper-class men. Many became celebrities both inside and outside of the pleasure quarters, and were commonly depicted in ukiyo-e woodblock prints and in kabuki theatre plays. were expected to be well versed in the traditional arts of singing, classical dance and music, including the ability to play the and the koto, and were also expected to converse with clients in upper class and formalised language.
Though regarded as trend setting and fashionable women at the historic height of their profession, this reputation was later usurped in the late 18th through 19th centuries by geisha, who became popular among the merchant classes for their simplified clothing, ability to play short, modern songs known as on the, and their more fashionable expressions of contemporary womanhood and companionship for men, which mirrored the tastes of the extremely wealthy, but for lower class merchants, who constituted the majority of their patronage.
The popularity and numbers of continued to decline steadily throughout the 19th century, before prostitution was outlawed in Japan in 1957. However, the remaining in Kyoto's Shimabara district were allowed to continue practising the cultural and performing arts traditions of their profession, and were declared a "special variety" of geisha. In the present day, a handful of, who do not engage in prostitution as part of their role, continue to perform in Kyoto, alongside a number of reenactors elsewhere in Japan who perform in reenactments of the courtesan parades known as.

Etymology

The word comes from the Japanese phrase which translates loosely to "the sister at our place." When written in kanji, the word consists of two characters: wikt:花, meaning "flower", and wikt:魁 meaning "leader". Though only the highest ranking prostitutes of Yoshiwara were technically known as, the term is now widely applied to all.

Traditions

Traditional arts

Compared to, whose primary attraction was the sexual services they offered,, and particularly, were first and foremost entertainers. In order to become an, a woman first had to be educated in a range of skills from a relatively young age, including , and calligraphy. also learned to play the,, , and. Clients expected to be well read, able to converse and write with wit and elegance, and able to match them in intellect in conversation.

Names

Within the pleasure quarters, an 's prestige was based on her beauty, character, education and artistic ability, which was reflected in the number of ranks falling in the category of. An, unlike geisha or common prostitutes, could be promoted or demoted by the owner of her brothel, and commonly inherited a generational name upon gaining promotion to a higher rank; these names, exclusively the property of the brothel owner, typically carried the prestige of the person who held it previously, and brothel owners commonly chose only those of similar countenance and reputation to inherit them. were written in kanji, and were typically more elaborate than the average woman's name of the time, holding meanings taken from poetry, literary history and nature; were rarely passed from one directly down to their apprentice.
not considered to be high ranking or skilled enough to hold an inherited name would instead use a professional name considered elegant enough to be the name of a courtesan; these were typically pseudonyms taken to either protect one's identity or to promote the brothel's image, and were likely to be slightly more elaborate than the average woman's name. These names, alongside the names of both and were written in hiragana.

Appearance

The appearance of was markedly different from that of both geisha and the average woman, reflecting the upper class tastes and expectations of their customers; by the height of their profession at the beginning of the Edo period, wore upwards of eight large , typically made from tortoiseshell, silver, gold and gemstones, in their large, elaborate and heavily waxed hairstyles; these hairstyles, all with different names and meanings, were worn to represent different ranks, seasons and occasions.
An 's outfit consisted of a number of layered kimono; the outermost kimono would usually be a heavily decorated silk brocade garment known as the, which would feature a heavily padded hem. Though were also worn by noblewomen and, towards the end of the Meiji period, began to be worn by some brides, the worn by were far more excessive and loud. These featured elaborate, traditional and auspicious designs, such as dragons, butterflies, arabesque rondels, pine, plum and bamboo, woven and embroidered in heavy gold and silver thread.
This would be worn unbelted over the top of the underkimono, which featured a patterned design only on the lower skirt, and resembled a otherwise. The ensemble was belted with an tied at the front. During the Edo period, this became both wider and stiffer, adding weight and discomfort. became known for wearing a specific style of known as the, which presented a large, flat surface on which large designs would be decorated.
When parading or otherwise walking, wore – tall paulownia wood clogs with three "teeth". Though lightweight for their size, these would prevent an from taking anything other than small, slow footsteps when walking; would thus walk in with a sliding, figure of 8 step, with two manservants assisting her. generally did not wear socks, with her bare foot considered to be a point of eroticism in her outfit. In total, a formal parade outfit worn by an could weigh in excess of, often weighing as much as, and would require great assistance to put on.

Ranks

The highest rank of courtesan was that of, followed by. Unlike courtesans of lower rank, had sufficient prestige to refuse clients. Their high status also
made the services of extremely pricey – a 's fee for one evening was between one and one, three, well beyond a laborer's monthly wage and comparable to a shop assistant's annual salary.
Though many courtesans could be registered in one area, extremely few reached status; a guidebook published in 1688 listed the contemporary numbers of high-ranking courtesans in comparison to all the courtesans listed in one area:

13 were registered in Shimabara out of 329 registered courtesans
7 were registered in Shinmachi out of 983 registered courtesans
3 were registered in Osaka and Yoshiwara out of 2,790 registered courtesans

A Yoshiwara guidebook published in 1792 listed the six extant ranks of, including and, who had, by the time of the guidebook's publication, been dormant, with no courtesans in these roles in Yoshiwara, for 30 years:
In 1761, the last of Yoshiwara retired, marking the end of the and ranks in that pleasure quarter, though both and continued to work in Kyoto and Osaka. The word therefore appeared in Yoshiwara as a polite term of address for any remaining woman of courtesan rank.

History

Rise to prominence

The profession of arose in the early Edo period, following the introduction of laws restricting brothels to bounded pleasure quarters known as in roughly 1600, sometimes restricting brothels to literal walled-in districts. These quarters were often placed at some distance from the centre of the attached town or city, and the legal status and location of these districts changed on a number of occasions throughout the following centuries; on occasion, some were closed and their inhabitants sent to either live or work in another, larger red light district.
The three best-known districts historically were Shimabara in Kyoto, Shinmachi in Osaka and Yoshiwara in Edo. Over time, these districts rapidly grew into large and self contained neighbourhoods, containing a number of different forms of entertainment outside of prostitution including performances and festivals. Geisha – whose profession came into existence in the late 18th century – also occasionally worked within these districts, as edicts passed at various times restricted them from working outside of officially designated red light areas.
Outside of their physical presentation, the traditional aesthetics of the and their attire bled into other aspects of the Edo period; within Yoshiwara, eventually became the main source of entertainment, performing and entertaining at parties for guests. Scholar Jonathan Clements emphasised the striking presence of the outside of their quarters, where a parading 's slow movements, brightly coloured and layered clothing, and lacquered hair provided a source of titillation for "the implications of Edo life so devoid of women." As a larger than life figure, historical accounts of the oiran recall the transferral of respectable house names as tangible products for potential clients, as well as signifiers of rank for established providers. This resulted in a widespread desire for anonymity for the mostly male population within Yoshiwara. Specialized products, such as hats, medicinal intervention, and the newly developed medium of kabuki encompassed the centricity of the red-light district economy, while also supporting anonymity of its patrons. Thus, the mythical persona for the did not only extend to physical interactions with her, but embodied one's journey through Yoshiwara itself. Outside of prostitution and the arts, the aesthetic reverence utilised to distinguish different classes of the became a vehicle for other means of aesthetic expression.
This had a profound impact on the economy, while also reflecting a point of contention between the upper and lower classes of Edo. Yoshiwara, known as "the place without night", represented one of the new places in which "high" culture was able to mingle with that of the lower classes, forging a new aesthetic environment within Edo society alongside their mingling. Another nickname for the Yoshiwara was "ukiyo", a Buddhist word that meant suffering world, which, when written in new characters, came to mean "floating world". This would also later influence the creation of ukiyo-e woodblock prints. Laura W. Allen, the curator of Japanese art at the Asian Art Museum describes the aesthetic intervention as "ignoring the problems that might have existed in a very strictly regulated society and abandoning yourself, bobbing along on the current of pleasure."