From Tayu-donaka to Oiran-donaka, the prestige and transition of Yoshiwara's amusement quarters (Genroku Period - Late Edo Period)

From Tayu-donaka to Oiran-donaka, the prestige and transition of Yoshiwara's amusement quarters (Genroku Period - Late Edo Period)

In the early Edo period, the highest rank of prostitutes in the Yoshiwara district was that of "tayu. Tayu were not only good-looking, but also cultured, artistic, and culturally competent, with knowledge of waka poetry, calligraphy, and musical composition. In other words, they were the flower of the cultural salons in the brothels.

However, the number of tayu, who numbered about 75 at the end of the Kan'ei period, declined to four 60 years later, in 1701. This was due to the passing of the luxurious climate of the Genroku period, and the growing demand for entertainment among the general public, as well as economic circumstances, led to the mainstreaming of inexpensive, easygoing entertainment with lower-class prostitutes. As a result, the tayu, who maintained a high level of respectability, was shunned and gradually disappeared.

In this trend, the "oiran" emerged. Oiran were not necessarily required to have the same level of artistic ability as the tayu, but they were valued for their gorgeous costumes and hairstyles, and for their presence as the face of the brothel. Eventually, the tayu system disappeared and the oiran became established as the highest rank in the brothel.

This change marks a transformation in the culture of the brothels themselves. Whereas tayu were reserved for the upper classes, such as samurai families and wealthy merchants, oiran were positioned as the center of entertainment, attracting a wider range of people. Moreover, with the expansion of the economy and the rise of merchant culture, the brothel became not just a place of prostitution, but also a stage that symbolized urban culture.

The symbol of this change was the splendid procession called "Hanai-doju. The sight of oiran leading a procession of bald or shinzo (courtesans) became a kind of spectacle that attracted the admiration of the common people. The way the oiran walked in hachimonji steps and their gorgeous costumes embodied the aesthetic sense of Edo culture, and it was an opportunity for the townspeople to witness the splendor of the ukiyoe world.

The transition from tayu to oiran (courtesans) mirrored the economic, cultural, and entertainment changes in Edo society, and Yoshiwara continued to exist as a magnetic field of urban culture throughout the Edo period.