The Tayuu/Oiran - Japan - Early Edo period
I would like to start on the Tayuu/Oiran of Japan by firmly saying this:
Geisha are not, and never were prostitutes. They never sold sex. Geisha were not Oiran- this is a misconception due to the similarities between the two in both service and looks. I assure you, however, they are not one in the same.
That out of the way, allow me to introduce you to the Tayuu and Oiran of Edo-era Japan.
Due to the many unregulated prostitutes roaming around the capital city, the Shogun of early Edo Japan saw to the building and maintaining of separate, “red-light citiesâ€. In these cities, brothels sprung up and crushed each other as if vying for space within the thick walls that surrounded them.
These towns, Yukaku or ‘Pleasure districts’, were not good places.
In fact, I should warn you a little- I’ll be telling you some pretty horrid things about them.
Firstly, as brothels needed workers and a steady stream of uninterrupted income, poor families often sold their daughters, even at age 3 or 4 years of age, off to brothel owners.
These young girls, torn from their families to suddenly live in cramped, dirty buildings that echoed with the sounds of men grunting and women sighing in delight and boredom, were immediately given an education in keeping clients happy- and even learned how to fake an orgasm.
Young girls would not go to work with clients straight away, considering their age.
Instead, the young prostitutes-in-training would work as posh servant girls for the house Tayuu until they were old enough to work the floor.
Reading, writing, calligraphy, tea ceremony, flower arranging, koto, shamisen, tsuzumi, and the ability to talk with a refined tongue and wit was drilled into their heads- one would be nothing but a front room prostitute otherwise.
The Tayuu, and then later the Oiran, was the courtesan of the brothel house.
She was regal in her stature, draped with several different and colourful kimono at once, her obi tied at the front, her inky black hair tied up into a slick coiffure that resembled a butterfly, sticks of turtle shell and expensive pins stuck all along it, and her petite little feet bare- unless she wore shoes, of course.
Every night, a grand parade would make its way through the yukaku with an Oiran on display- her little servant girls walking with bells and banners, followed by lesser prostitutes. And then the Oiran herself- Standing atop six-inch-high geta, she leaned lightly against a supporting house worker as she made her way down the street at a painfully slow pace.
Legend is that a new Oiran by the name of Katsuyama- upon her first parade - wowed the crowds by a very distinctive walk. Instead of taking large, cumbersome steps in her towering shoes, Katsuyama dragged the heavy blocks of wood into the street in the figure of an eight. The look was so exotic, so regal, and so graceful that every other Oiran rushed to copy it.
Despite all this, and the fame that came with the title, the Oiran was not like the independent courtesans of other countries. The Tayuu and Oiran were indentured slaves, an invisible collar of debt snug around her neck with the brothel owners holding the leash.
A woman could theoretically buy herself out of the life and be free, but it was rare.
Brothel owners liked their money, and an Oiran was a hot commodity for nobles and samurai. They tacked on debts like pins, calling every minor thing an expense that the girls would have to pay them back: Meals, clothes, rent, everything they could think of.
Some tried to run away from these places, and with fairly good reason, but a woman raised in such delicate settings could always be spotted by her feet- soft, little feet that had never seen hard labor and cheap shoes.
Oiran, prostitution, and the pleasure districts themselves survived a very long time- officially being banned and shut down after the second world war.
So, how can we apply the above into roleplay?
Tayuu/Oiran are not the kind of courtesan that is independent.Those who want to rp this kind of courtesan has to remember that while the character might be able to be living a lavish life, it is not their own. Some might resent the person who owns their life, or some might feel comfortable in the stability that came with room and board.
Be warned; some may not want to roleplay with a character like this because of the problematic nature of the RP.
For example: Elviane Fouquet is a wWildwood Elezen. Elviane works in a brothel owned by an immigrant from the East. Since Elviane could not find work, being unable to read and write, she went to the brothel owner in hopes of stability.She now wears lavish silk and beautiful jewelry, and always has a meal to eat, but the harder she works towards independence, the bigger her debts seem to become.
If she can find a rich suitor, she might be able to buy her freedom- but affections can fade, and Elviane might end up right where she started if suddenly left.
Next time: Kisaeng of Korea
I would like to start on the Tayuu/Oiran of Japan by firmly saying this:
Geisha are not, and never were prostitutes. They never sold sex. Geisha were not Oiran- this is a misconception due to the similarities between the two in both service and looks. I assure you, however, they are not one in the same.
That out of the way, allow me to introduce you to the Tayuu and Oiran of Edo-era Japan.
Due to the many unregulated prostitutes roaming around the capital city, the Shogun of early Edo Japan saw to the building and maintaining of separate, “red-light citiesâ€. In these cities, brothels sprung up and crushed each other as if vying for space within the thick walls that surrounded them.
These towns, Yukaku or ‘Pleasure districts’, were not good places.
In fact, I should warn you a little- I’ll be telling you some pretty horrid things about them.
Firstly, as brothels needed workers and a steady stream of uninterrupted income, poor families often sold their daughters, even at age 3 or 4 years of age, off to brothel owners.
These young girls, torn from their families to suddenly live in cramped, dirty buildings that echoed with the sounds of men grunting and women sighing in delight and boredom, were immediately given an education in keeping clients happy- and even learned how to fake an orgasm.
Young girls would not go to work with clients straight away, considering their age.
Instead, the young prostitutes-in-training would work as posh servant girls for the house Tayuu until they were old enough to work the floor.
Reading, writing, calligraphy, tea ceremony, flower arranging, koto, shamisen, tsuzumi, and the ability to talk with a refined tongue and wit was drilled into their heads- one would be nothing but a front room prostitute otherwise.
The Tayuu, and then later the Oiran, was the courtesan of the brothel house.
She was regal in her stature, draped with several different and colourful kimono at once, her obi tied at the front, her inky black hair tied up into a slick coiffure that resembled a butterfly, sticks of turtle shell and expensive pins stuck all along it, and her petite little feet bare- unless she wore shoes, of course.
Every night, a grand parade would make its way through the yukaku with an Oiran on display- her little servant girls walking with bells and banners, followed by lesser prostitutes. And then the Oiran herself- Standing atop six-inch-high geta, she leaned lightly against a supporting house worker as she made her way down the street at a painfully slow pace.
Legend is that a new Oiran by the name of Katsuyama- upon her first parade - wowed the crowds by a very distinctive walk. Instead of taking large, cumbersome steps in her towering shoes, Katsuyama dragged the heavy blocks of wood into the street in the figure of an eight. The look was so exotic, so regal, and so graceful that every other Oiran rushed to copy it.
Despite all this, and the fame that came with the title, the Oiran was not like the independent courtesans of other countries. The Tayuu and Oiran were indentured slaves, an invisible collar of debt snug around her neck with the brothel owners holding the leash.
A woman could theoretically buy herself out of the life and be free, but it was rare.
Brothel owners liked their money, and an Oiran was a hot commodity for nobles and samurai. They tacked on debts like pins, calling every minor thing an expense that the girls would have to pay them back: Meals, clothes, rent, everything they could think of.
Some tried to run away from these places, and with fairly good reason, but a woman raised in such delicate settings could always be spotted by her feet- soft, little feet that had never seen hard labor and cheap shoes.
Oiran, prostitution, and the pleasure districts themselves survived a very long time- officially being banned and shut down after the second world war.
So, how can we apply the above into roleplay?
Tayuu/Oiran are not the kind of courtesan that is independent.Those who want to rp this kind of courtesan has to remember that while the character might be able to be living a lavish life, it is not their own. Some might resent the person who owns their life, or some might feel comfortable in the stability that came with room and board.
Be warned; some may not want to roleplay with a character like this because of the problematic nature of the RP.
For example: Elviane Fouquet is a wWildwood Elezen. Elviane works in a brothel owned by an immigrant from the East. Since Elviane could not find work, being unable to read and write, she went to the brothel owner in hopes of stability.She now wears lavish silk and beautiful jewelry, and always has a meal to eat, but the harder she works towards independence, the bigger her debts seem to become.
If she can find a rich suitor, she might be able to buy her freedom- but affections can fade, and Elviane might end up right where she started if suddenly left.
Next time: Kisaeng of Korea
