What is Oiran? Characteristics And Differences Between Tayu/Geisha
Sana Yoshida
The term “oiran” often appears in manga and anime with historical or traditional Japanese themes. Oiran were high-ranking courtesans of the Yoshiwara pleasure district, celebrated for their beauty, refined education, and artistic talents.
In this article, we’ll explore who the oiran were and take a closer look at the unique culture of the pleasure quarters.
What is an Oiran? Meaning and Origin of The Word
Oiran were the highest-ranking courtesans in the government-sanctioned pleasure districts of the Edo period. The term does not refer to an official position; instead, it is said to have originated from younger courtesans affectionately calling senior courtesans “oiran,” meaning “my elder sister.”
The word is written with the characters 花 (flower) and 魁 (leader/pioneer), believed to have been inspired by a story from the ancient Chinese collection Xingshi Hengyan, and these characters were chosen due to their imagery of a leading flower, in other words, the highest ranking courtesan.
They adorned themselves with ornate hairpins and dazzling outer robes, and their especially elaborate hair ornaments were extremely heavy. Because of this weight, they had to move their entire upper body to support their necks. Their kimono also lacked the usual ties at the waist, which further encouraged slow, graceful movements.
Oiran Kotoba
The way oiran spoke, known as oiran kotoba, was a distinctive form of Japanese that is still referenced in modern works of fiction. It was also called kuruwa kotoba or sato kotoba, depending on the district.
One widely accepted theory is that this speech style was developed to hide the regional accents of women who came from rural parts of Japan, allowing them to appear more refined and elegant to the patrons. Each establishment had its own unique way of speaking, and people could even tell which brothel a courtesan belonged to by her choice of words.
Examples of Oiran Language:
- First-person pronoun : 私 (watashi) → わっち (wacchi)
- Polite ending: ～です (desu) → ～ありんす (arinsu)
- Polite request: ～してください (shite kudasai) → ～しておくんなんし (shite okunnanshi)
While the words differed, the meaning remained the same, which makes these unique expressions difficult to translate into other languages. Their nuance is something that can only truly be felt when heard in Japanese. Even in Japan today, opportunities to hear this style of speech are extremely limited.
The History of The Pleasure Quarters
Shinyoshiwara Hanazono Ato / Photo AC
Today, the Kanto region is home to Tokyo, Japan’s capital and a major center of culture and politics. However, when Tokugawa Ieyasu first came to the area at the order of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, it was little more than a marshland overgrown with weeds. Ieyasu developed canals and roads, gradually building up the town of Edo, which eventually grew into a vast and prosperous city.
When the Edo shogunate was established, urban development accelerated rapidly, drawing craftsmen, merchants, and ronin seeking work from all over the country. It is said that Edo had an overwhelmingly high male population at the time, and as a result, brothels began operating within the city.
Origin of Yoshiwara Pleasure District
Because the city was still undergoing development, ordinary residents were often ordered to relocate, and troubled brothel owners petitioned the authorities to establish a designated pleasure district. After several petitions and negotiations, they finally received permission in Genna 3 (1617) to create Edo’s first licensed pleasure quarter, Yoshiwara (originally written as 葭原).
This marked the birth of the Yoshiwara Yukaku (pleasure district) near Ningyocho in Nihonbashi, but it was later destroyed in the Great Fire of Meireki. The district was then relocated to the Nihonzutsumi area of Asakusa, where it continued to operate.
Yoshiwara remained the largest pleasure quarter in the country until its closure, brought about by changing social values following Japan’s opening to the world and the postwar enactment of the Prostitution Prevention Law. At its peak, it is said to have housed several thousand courtesans.
Pleasure quarters were also known as kuruwa or keisei-machi, and in a broader sense, the term can refer to hanamachi (entertainment districts that included geiko and geisha), as well as irozato, yuri, or iro-machi, which were districts where unlicensed prostitution took place.
Hierarchical System of Courtesans
Within the pleasure quarters, there was a hierarchy based on education level, talent, age, and job duties. Various ranks and names existed depending on the era and area, but here we introduce the hierarchy of Edo Yoshiwara.
Oiran
The highest class of courtesans, not only beautiful but also skilled in arts such as musical performance, kabuki, and joruri. Oiran were further divided into four ranks.
Yobidashi Chusan
She held the highest rank among the oiran, and her fee (age-dai) would be equivalent to roughly 150,000 yen in modern terms. These courtesans wore tall wooden clogs (geta) and performed the oiran-dochu, walking in the distinctive “figure-eight” style known as soto-hachimonji.
Chusan
These courtesans were provided with their own private room as well as a reception room for meeting clients. Their fee for a day-and-night engagement was approximately 90,000 yen in modern terms.
Zashiki-mochi
Like the Chusan, they had a private room and reception room to meet clients, with a fee of about 50,000 yen for day and night.
Heya-mochi
Provided with a private room where they also entertained guests, with a fee of about 30,000 yen for a day and night engagement.
Other Costs Involved in Spending Time With an Oiran
In addition to the above fee, guests were also expected to cover banquet costs and give gratuities similar to tips. It’s said that those who spent generously could easily spend over one million yen in a single night. Considering that ordinary townspeople at the time lived on the equivalent of about 150,000 yen per month, it’s clear just how luxurious and exclusive the oiran truly were.
Shinzo
This term refers to lower-ranking courtesans who had not yet become oiran. It also includes those who did not receive clients at all.
Furisode Shinzo
With a fee of about 15,000 yen, they did not have private rooms and used shared rooms.
Banto Shinzo
Generally did not take customers and handled chores for higher-ranking courtesans.
Others
Kamuro
Young girls aged 10 to 15 who learned the rules of the pleasure quarters while doing chores and received education in the necessary knowledge, arts, and etiquette to become courtesans.
Kirimise Joro
This refers to the lowest-class brothels, where the courtesans lived in row houses and received clients directly from there.
People Outside the Pleasure Quarters
There were also yuna, who worked at hot springs, and meshimori-onna, who served meals while also providing sexual services.
There were also male prostitutes known as kagema, who were said to charge even higher fees than the oiran. This was because the boys preferred as kagema were admired for their youthful beauty, giving them a very short period in which they could earn money. Their clients included ladies-in-waiting, widows, and Buddhist monks.
Characteristics of Oiran's Kimono
Oiran were dressed in extremely lavish clothing. They wore multiple layers of kimono, and the hem was so long that it trailed along the ground.
The extravagance of a courtesan’s kimono and accessories was a symbol of her status. Both the courtesan herself and her regular patrons would purchase lavish, expensive garments. These kimono featured masterful craftsmanship; gold and silver thread embroidery, intricate weaving, and yuzen dyeing, and the oiran wore them in styles that matched the seasons. Their appearance became an object of admiration for many. In particular, the uchikake, a luxurious over-kimono, was a garment reserved exclusively for high-ranking courtesans.
Another distinctive feature was the way they tied their obi (sash) in the front. This style is said to have been used to emphasize beauty and elegance. Historically, women tied narrow obi at the front up until the Momoyama period. Even after wider obi became common and tying them in the back became the norm, women of high status—such as court nobles and upper-class samurai families—continued to tie their obi in the front.
One theory suggests that this front-tied style became fashionable among courtesans because it reflected an admiration for the upper classes.
Characteristics of Oiran's Makeup
As the highest-ranking courtesans of Yoshiwara, the oiran were deeply devoted to perfecting their beauty.
In Japan, there is a proverb that says, “Fair skin hides seven flaws,” meaning that a pale complexion was considered a key trait of beauty. To achieve this ideal, oiran applied white face powder (oshiroi) to create a porcelain-like beauty.
In addition, while most women of the time blackened their teeth after marriage, it is said that courtesans and geisha also practiced ohaguro (tooth blackening). They used high-quality beni (lip color) on their lips and eyebrow ink to follow the beauty trends of the era.
The technique of applying layers of expensive beni until it produced an iridescent greenish tint, known as sasairo-beni, is believed to have been started by courtesans. This luxurious makeup style shows just how much they earned.
At the time, beauty standards favored narrow, elongated eyes rather than large, wide, double-lidded eyes. Makeup guides from the period even included tips on how to make large eyes appear smaller.
Oiran Dochu: The Iconic Procession of the Pleasure Quarters
Customers did not go directly to the brothels. Instead, they visited ageya or hikite-jaya (teahouses that handled negotiations) to choose or reserve the courtesan they wanted. Once the arrangements with the establishment were finalized, the lavishly dressed oiran would come out to receive the customer. This elegant procession was known as the oiran dochu.
The procession was also performed during New Year’s greeting rounds and for the debut of new courtesans, an event called shinzo totsude.
Photo AC
Wearing tall geta over 15 centimeters high, the oiran walked with their feet turned outward, tracing half-circles with each step. This style, known as “stepping the figure-eight” (hachimonji wo fumu), was so graceful that it is said to have captivated all who watched.
In an oiran-dochu, young attendants carrying lanterns led the way, followed by the oiran herself walking beneath a long-handled parasol, supported by assistants known as katakashi, who helped her move gracefully. Behind her walked her kamuro, the young girls who served her. Also present were promising furisode shinzo, banto shinzo, and the yarite (the experienced woman who supervised the brothel). Together, they formed an impressive, ceremonious parade.
The oiran-dochu showcased not only the prestige of the oiran due to her extremely high fees, but also served as a way for clients to display their own wealth and status. For this reason, the oiran wore several layers of luxurious uchikake robes during the procession and adorned her hair with nearly ten large hairpins, creating an exceptionally grand and extravagant appearance.
Today, visitors can view kimono and historical materials related to the oiran-dochu at places such as the Japan Kimono Culture Museum in Koriyama, Fukushima, and Nikko Edomura in Tochigi. In addition, oiran-dochu are sometimes performed at festivals held in various regions across Japan.
Oiran vs Geisha
Kyoto Gion / Photo AC
The term oiran referred to high-ranking courtesans in Edo’s Yoshiwara district. In addition to their beauty, they were admired for their education and artistic capabilities; classical literature, calligraphy, tea ceremony, poetry, koto, shamisen, as well as games like go and shogi. Thanks to this refined talent and charm, the oiran were immensely popular, much like celebrities or idols today.
Layered kimono lavishly decorated with embroidery, the “nuki-eri” style that reveals the nape and upper back, and the obi tied at the front were all iconic elements of their striking appearance. Their accessories, such as hairpins and combs, were exceptionally luxurious as well, said to be "worth a house with just what's worn from the neck up."
Geisha are women who entertain guests through traditional dance, music, and various performing arts. In the Edo period, both male and female geisha existed, but by the Meiji era the role became exclusively female. In places like Kyoto, they are called geiko, and they remain an essential part of traditional banquets and teahouse entertainment today. Although the names vary by region, a fully trained geisha is called a geiko, while trainees are known as maiko, hinaga, or hangyoku.
Oiran vs Tayu
Kyoto Shimabara Taimon / Photo AC
The term oiran was mainly used in Edo’s Yoshiwara district, while tayu was the title used in Shimabara, Kyoto.
While Edo’s oiran were more strongly associated with the role of courtesans, Kyoto’s tayu were originally performers of women’s kabuki and specialized in the arts. They also entertained nobles and members of the imperial family, and the term referred to highly cultured and skilled entertainers.
Yoshiwara also had tayu in the beginning, but their fees being extremely high, combined with their main clients—feudal lords—becoming less wealthy over time, led to their decline.
The Dark Side of Oiran
Although they were admired for their glamorous and luxurious appearance, their lives were certainly not without hardship.
Many women were sold by their parents or kidnapped and forced to work there. And although Yoshiwara was a glamorous district, access in and out was tightly controlled, and their freedom was severely limited.
They also suffered from illnesses common among courtesans, such as syphilis, and poisoning caused by the lead contained in their white makeup. Today, these conditions can be prevented or treated with modern medicine, but at the time the causes were unknown and many were considered incurable. Only a small number of courtesans remained healthy until their contracts ended and they were finally freed.
In Japanese media, oiran often appear as simple “icons” in works aimed at children, but in stories for adults, their darker aspects are sometimes explored to depict the lives of people in that era.
Famous Japanese Anime Featuring Oiran
The combination of glamorous beauty, the darker side of the nightlife district, and the dramatic stories that arise from it has inspired countless works featuring oiran and pleasure quarters. From classics like Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s joruri play The Love Suicides at Sonezaki and the kabuki work The Scarlet Princess of Edo, to the visually striking live-action adaptation of Moyoco Anno’s Sakuran, they remain a prevalent theme in media. They are also commonly featured in manga and anime set in Japan.
Demon Slayer
The Entertainment District Arc, covered in volumes 9-11 in the manga, and adapted into anime in 2021. Set after the Mugen Train Arc, in which Tanjiro’s group first encounters an Upper Rank demon, the arc begins with the protagonists infiltrating Yoshiwara to locate and rescue the wives of the Sound Hashira, Tengen Uzui, who went missing during an undercover investigation.
Under Uzui’s orders, Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Inosuke disguise themselves as girls and infiltrate the pleasure district, gathering information by helping with chores and learning the arts practiced by the courtesans. During the investigation, they encounter Daki, Upper Rank Six. The story features intense battles, including Nezuko’s awakening as a demon and the appearance of Gyutaro, emerging from within Daki.
When the anime was broadcast, its beautiful animation, vividly portraying the glamorous nighttime district and its striking characters, drew widespread attention worldwide.
Gintama
Among the many popular long story arcs in Gintama, one of the most popular is the Yoshiwara in Flames Arc, which is also set to receive a new animated film in February 2026. In the original manga, the arc spans volumes 25–26, and in the anime, it runs from episodes 139 to 146.
The story is set in Yoshiwara Togenkyo, a huge underground pleasure district. Gintoki meets Haruta, a boy stealing money to buy out the top courtesan Hinowa, and ends up facing the dark world hidden inside Yoshiwara.
Characters such as Hosen, the ruler of Yoshiwara Togenkyo who is obsessed with Hinowa; Tsukuyo, the guardian of Yoshiwara; and Kamui, Kagura’s older brother and an executive of Harusame Space Pirates, all appear and engage in fierce battles. This arc not only features many fan-favorite characters, but also tells an emotional story that touches on themes like the bond between parent and child. Because of that, many fans have high expectations for the quality of the upcoming movie adaptation.
One Piece
The Wano Country Arc spans volumes 90 to 105 of the original manga and ran in the anime from 2019 to 2023. This long arc brought major plotlines to a close and built intense momentum toward the series’ climax. It also drew attention for its worldbuilding, as Wano appears to be inspired by Japanese culture and aesthetics.
The arc begins when Luffy and his crew arrive in Wano, a closed-off nation ruled by one of the Four Emperors, Kaido, and the shogun, Kurozumi Orochi. After protecting a young girl named Otama from the Beasts Pirates, Luffy and the others meet Kin’emon and his comrades, who are plotting to avenge their late lord, Kozuki Oden, who was killed by Kaido.
Among the many characters who appear in the story is Komurasaki, an oiran known as the “top idol of Wano Country.” She is adored even by powerful figures such as Shogun Orochi and Queen of the Beasts Pirates. Although she has a reputation as a wicked woman who ruins men and leaves them bankrupt, there is much more to her than meets the eye. Komurasaki carries her own burdens and circumstances, making her one of the characters who embodies the drama and history of the Wano Country Arc.
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