Account sinking in the shadow of the oiran's sleeves: The duty of opulence with shinzo and bald girls (Late Edo period)

Account sinking in the shadow of the oiran's sleeves: The duty of opulence with shinzo and bald girls (Late Edo period)
The oiran of the Yoshiwara is spoken of as a symbol of luxury and splendor, but behind this is the heavy financial burden of carrying the cost of costumes and education for the shinzou and bald girls. The oiran were accompanied by apprentice baldies and furisode shinzō, and the quality of their appearance and their artistic skills were considered indicative of their own prestige, with the cost of their costumes, hairdressing, cosmetics, and even training accumulated as part of the oiran's stipend. The bald girl entered the brothel at an early age, learned etiquette and chores, and followed the oiran. When she grew up and became a shinzo, she needed more luxurious furisode and obi, the cost of which was borne by the oiran, the elder sister.

The costumes worn by the bald and shinzo oiran during the oiran procession were also arranged to visually show the oiran's prestige, and the more luxurious the costume, the more money was spent. In terms of education, a wide range of artistic skills were required, including shamisen (three-stringed Japanese instrument), singing, dancing, and tea and sake manners, and the cost of such training was also borne by the oiran. From the perspective of the entire brothel, this was an investment in nurturing future popular prostitutes, but because of the system that forced the costs onto the current popular oiran, the oiran were placed in a cycle where their debts did not decrease even though they earned more money.

Overseas historical documents also show that high-class courtesans were required to pay for the banquets of the girls who accompanied them, making the oiran a symbol of luxury as well as a small patriarch supporting the family. The weight of the bill they had to carry was quietly swaying behind the glamorous procession.