Changes

==Ranks in the Yoshiwara==

==Ranks in the Yoshiwara==

===Prior to 1750===

===Prior to 1750===

*'''Tayû''' (太夫) - the top rank of courtesans. Obtaining the "services" of a ''tayû'' required, first, a lengthy set of procedures and rituals, including a recommendation letter from one of the Yoshiwara teahouses, and an application submitted to the ''ageya'' (揚屋, house of assignation) to which that ''tayû'' belonged. Even after one's application was accepted, one would meet with the ''tayû'' and her entourage three times, paying a hefty fee each time, and engaging in a ritual exchange or ceremonial performance, and only after that, if the ''tayû'' chose to go further with the client, would one be able to enjoy the services of the ''tayû'' in question. Being rejected by a ''tayû'' was quite common, even expected, and competitions for the affection of a given ''tayû'' were quite common.

*'''Tayû''' (太夫) - the top rank of courtesans. The term had its start in the Shimabara district of Kyoto, and its usage later spread to Osaka, Edo, and Nagasaki. The term has its origins as a title in the Imperial court, though how it was appropriated into the pleasure quarters remains unclear. Young courtesans-in-training required extensive training throughout their youth, as they progressed from ''kamuro'', to ''shinzô'' or ''hikifune'' (引舟), and then to ''tenjin'' (天神), on their way to becoming ''tayû''. Obtaining the "services" of a ''tayû'' required, first, a lengthy set of procedures and rituals, including a recommendation letter from one of the Yoshiwara teahouses, and an application submitted to the ''ageya'' (揚屋, house of assignation) to which that ''tayû'' belonged. Even after one's application was accepted, one would meet with the ''tayû'' and her entourage three times, paying a hefty fee each time, and engaging in a ritual exchange or ceremonial performance, and only after that, if the ''tayû'' chose to go further with the client, would one be able to enjoy the services of the ''tayû'' in question. Being rejected by a ''tayû'' was quite common, even expected, and competitions for the affection of a given ''tayû'' were quite common.

*'''Kôshi''' (格子, lit. "lattice") - the second rank of Yoshiwara courtesans. Obtaining the services of a ''kôshi'' required a set of procedures similar to that of requesting a ''tayû'', though less lengthy or difficult. A prospective client needed a letter of recommendation from a Yoshiwara teahouse, and would submit an application to the ''ageya'', just as when requesting a ''tayû''. However, the ''kôshi'' and her attendants would meet with the client only once, not three times, before deciding whether to take him on as a client. The ritual exchange was far less complex, and the cost roughly half that of a ''tayû''. Rejections from a ''kôshi'' were less typical, and once one was accepted by a ''kôshi'', one could proposition her services directly, at the latticed front room of her brothel.

*'''Kôshi''' (格子, lit. "lattice") - the second rank of Yoshiwara courtesans. Obtaining the services of a ''kôshi'' required a set of procedures similar to that of requesting a ''tayû'', though less lengthy or difficult. A prospective client needed a letter of recommendation from a Yoshiwara teahouse, and would submit an application to the ''ageya'', just as when requesting a ''tayû''. However, the ''kôshi'' and her attendants would meet with the client only once, not three times, before deciding whether to take him on as a client. The ritual exchange was far less complex, and the cost roughly half that of a ''tayû''. Rejections from a ''kôshi'' were less typical, and once one was accepted by a ''kôshi'', one could proposition her services directly, at the latticed front room of her brothel.

The [[Kyoho Famine|Kyôhô Famine]], which began in [[1732]], had a profound effect on a myriad aspects of Japanese society; this, combined with a variety of other developments, led to the decline of the ''tayû'', and of the complex rituals and procedures of the earlier period of the Yoshiwara. The 1750s-1760s then saw the rise of a new system and hierarchy centered around the ''oiran'', members of the top three ranks in a new hierarchy, who developed out of the position of teahouse waitresses called ''[[sancha]]''.

The [[Kyoho Famine|Kyôhô Famine]], which began in [[1732]], had a profound effect on a myriad aspects of Japanese society; this, combined with a variety of other developments, led to the decline of the ''tayû'', and of the complex rituals and procedures of the earlier period of the Yoshiwara. The 1750s-1760s then saw the rise of a new system and hierarchy centered around the ''oiran'', members of the top three ranks in a new hierarchy, who developed out of the position of teahouse waitresses called ''[[sancha]]''.

*'''Oiran''' (花魁) - any courtesan of the top three ranks, ''yobidashi chûsan'', ''chûsan'', or ''tsukemawashi''. An ''oiran'' had two ''shinzô'' (courtesans-in-training), and two ''kamuro'' (child or adolescent attendants) in her entourage.

*'''Oiran''' (花魁) - any courtesan of the top three ranks, ''yobidashi chûsan'', ''chûsan'', or ''tsukemawashi''. An ''oiran'' had two ''shinzô'' (courtesans-in-training), and two ''kamuro'' (child or adolescent attendants) in her entourage. The term appears as early as the [[Genroku]] era (1688-1704), but only becomes common around 1760, after the decline of the ''tayû''. The origins of the word are unclear, though one explanation has it deriving from the phrases ''oira no'' or ''oira ga toko'' used by ''kamuro'' and ''shinzô'' to refer to the courtesan as "elder sister." A variety of [[kanji]] for "oiran" appear in ''[[sharebon]]'' publications from the time, but eventually the ''ateji'' 花魁 stuck as the dominant written form.

*'''Yobidashi chûsan''' (呼出昼三, lit. "a ''chûsan'' called-out, summoned") - the top courtesan rank in the new hierarchy. A client seeking the services of a ''yobidashi chûsan'' would be required to make an appointment ahead of time at the teahouse. A ''yobidashi chûsan'' cost roughly the same amount as a ''kôshi'' in the old system.

*'''Yobidashi chûsan''' (呼出昼三, lit. "a ''chûsan'' called-out, summoned") - the top courtesan rank in the new hierarchy. A client seeking the services of a ''yobidashi chûsan'' would be required to make an appointment ahead of time at the teahouse. A ''yobidashi chûsan'' cost roughly the same amount as a ''kôshi'' in the old system.

==References==

==References==

*"[http://shunga.honolulumuseum.org/index.php?page=1 Arts of the Bedchamber: Japanese Shunga]." Honolulu Museum of Arts, Exhibition Website. Accessed 10 December 2012.

*"[http://shunga.honolulumuseum.org/index.php?page=1 Arts of the Bedchamber: Japanese Shunga]." Honolulu Museum of Arts, Exhibition Website. Accessed 10 December 2012.

 

[[Category:Women]]

[[Category:Women]]

[[Category:Edo Period]]

[[Category:Edo Period]]