高橋由一 Takahashi Yuichi 「花魁」

Japan: Portrait of an Oiran or courtesan / prostitute, oil painting by Yuichi Takahashi (1828-1894), 1872
Oiran were the courtesans of Edo period Japan. The oiran were considered a type of yujo 'woman of pleasure' or prostitute. However, they were distinguished from the yujo in that they were entertainers, and many became celebrities of their times outside the pleasure districts. Their art and fashions often set trends among the wealthy and, because of this, cultural aspects of oiran traditions continue to be preserved to this day. The oiran arose in the Edo period (1600-1868). At this time, laws were passed restricting brothels to walled districts set some distance from the city center. In the major cities these were the Shimabara in Kyoto, the Shinmachi in Osaka, and the Yoshiwara in Edo (present-day Tokyo).
source : Pictures From History
image date : 6.7.2015
topic : ART HISTORY KIMONO PROSTITUTE PROSTITUTION WOMAN
geography : ASIA JAPAN