Shirome

Shirome was a minor female Japanese waka poet, who lived during the early 10th century CE.
She was born in Eguchi, Settsu Province and thought to be a daughter of a minor aristocrat Settsunokuni Tamabuchi. Her occupation was an asobi/yujo, often translated as courtesan. Later in history the terms asobi/yujo frequently indicated someone who did sex work, however during the Heian period the terms often referred to a woman who was trained in the art of singing and dancing - similar to the latter day Geisha. Her performance in front of an abdicated emperor is recorded in a book Okagami, The Great Mirror, and other sources.
A poem of hers was included in the Kokin Wakashū:
命だに心にかなふ物ならばなにか別れの悲しからまし