A Young Shadow Reflected in the Mirror of a Courtesan: A Quiet Afternoon in Yoshiwara (Late Edo Period)

A Young Shadow Reflected in the Mirror of a Courtesan: A Quiet Afternoon in Yoshiwara (Late Edo Period)

This scene of a bald woman gingerly peering into a mirror while the oiran prepares herself shows that even within the strict system of Yoshiwara, a soft everyday life certainly flowed. The moment when the oiran filled her pipe with tobacco and quietly looked down at the text of a familiar customer was an everyday ritual in the world of prostitutes, and a time to show courtesy and culture. Next to the oiran, a bald girl, an apprentice of about 10 years old, quietly borrows the oiran's mirror and adjusts her own beard, reflecting the simple humanity that lies behind the splendor of the stage.

Baldy was raised to be a future oiran (courtesan), and learned makeup, manners, and customer service while assisting the oiran in their daily preparations, and honed his sense of beauty. The act of peering into the mirror is a natural longing to someday become as beautiful as the oiran, even though she is still a child. For a girl living in such a harsh environment, this small gesture was also a secret training that led to her dream. The relationship between the oiran and the bald girl was one of tension between master and disciple, and the warmth of sisterhood. This is probably why bald girls' innocent use of mirrors was not censured, but rather gently accepted as part of their growth.

The late Edo period was a time when the Yoshiwara culture matured and ukiyoe and caricatures flourished. The deportment of oiran (courtesans) embodied the culture itself and was a symbol of urban culture. Behind the oiran's appearance, the way in which the bald girl is attracted to beauty shows the process by which a girl living in the center of a culture naturally absorbs a sense of beauty. The expression "trimming her beard" reflects the custom of the time of trimming eyebrows and locks of hair, and we see a lovely bald girl trying to improve herself by imitating the oiran (courtesans).

Even though Yoshiwara was glamorous from the outside, inside it was a place of harsh reality for prostitutes. In this context, the few moments when the bald girl looked into the mirror and the oiran quietly allowed her to do so were precious margins blotting out the hard world. In this small event that took place right next to the strict daily routine of the oiran, the breath of those who lived hard while bound by the system quietly resides, and both the light and shadow that Yoshiwara of Edo had are softly exuded.