ASHI-ODORI.

In the Yoshiwara, taiko-mochi (h�kan) are called otoko-geisha in contra-distinction to female geisha. More generally they are called tayū-shū. At first they were divided into several classes, among them being Uji (Uji’s school) Sugano (Sugano’s school) Ogiye (Ogiye’s school) and Sukura-gawa; their profession was to attend saké parties and sing or play to amuse the guests. Gradually, however, they were forced to look after various affairs of their customers in order to buy the good-will of the latter. At present they have completely degenerated. In spite of the fact that the Yoshiwara is the veritable birth-place of the h�kan, those belonging to the quarter are far inferior to their contemporaries of the City proper in many respects. When a h�kan of the present day is called to attend a party of guests in a brothel, he enters the room holding a folded fan in his hand, and after saluting the guest who has called him snaps the fan he carries with a sharp clicking sound and expresses his obligation to his patron’s companion in the stereotyped phrase—“oiran maido arigat�� (thank you madam for your constant favours). He then bows in turn to every person in the room, including other courtesans and geisha, his actual patron being disregarded for the time being. As soon as the party gets livened up from the effects of liquor, and the feasting has began to flag, the jesting and buffoonery of the h�kan waxes fast and furious and is accompanied by droll contortions and gesticulations, ashi-odori, suteteko, and even hadaka-odori.[25] These disgusting and highly suggestive antics of the h�kan, far from scandalizing guests, are received with great applause and appear to afford much amusement to all present. In the Yoshiwara, the most popular h�kan at present (1899) are Zenroku, Minchū, Hambei, Sh�k�, and Heiki. The usual costume of a h�kan consists of a haori of black cloth having five crests upon it, and a kimono of a different coloured crêpe. According to the narrative of an old man, there were in the era of Temp� (1830–1843) two classes of h�kan named zamochi and taiko-mochi. The former were well versed in every branch of polite accomplishments including k�-cha (incense-burning and tea-ceremonial) ikebana (floral arrangement) shikyoku (playing various kinds of musical instruments) etc., and were generally called to parties given by nobles, gentlemen, and wealthy merchants. In private life they were admitted to the friendship of poets and literary men, and even in ordinary times wore crested ceremonial clothes. When attending their customers they wore a small wooden sword called a “kami-ire-dome� (pocket-book holder) and carried about them a sum of at least 25 ry� (about Yen 250) for the purpose of making payments on behalf of patrons, as it was not the custom to receive money from the latter on the spot. The ordinary taiko-mochi, on the other hand, were those who had no special accomplishments, but even these were more accomplished than their modern representatives. They were also colloquially termed “no-daiko.�

Geisha Dancing the “Kapporé.�

Yostume no mon.

When a h�kan intends to enter the profession on his own account, he goes round to the various brothels and the tea-houses under the guidance of his teacher and fellow h�kan for the purpose of introducing himself and soliciting patronage. This proceeding is described as hirome wo nasu (to “advertise� oneself) and the larger the number of fellow h�kan who follow the debutante the greater the honour to the latter. On this day he requests the tea-houses or brothels with whom he is particularly friendly to recommend him to guests, and the latter are under a species of moral obligation to assist the beginner in this matter. In the “D�b� Go-yen� (洞房語園) it is stated that men who entertained parties of persons, under engagement by guests, were called taikomochi (大鼓� = a drum-holder). In the days of Ōta Nobunaga there lived in the city of Ky�to a man named Jige Yazaemon who was an expert player on the drum, and whenever he was called into the presence of notables to give a performance he used to beat the instrument while it was being held by one of his pupils, he himself being seated on a drum-shaped tub. Among his pupils was one named Idayū who was skilled in the act of holding the drum, and who was a great favorite of his master Yazaemon. * * * For this reason, parties wishing to engage Yazaemon used to request his performance through Idayū. This state of things gave umbrage to other pupils of Yazaemon, so they spoke of him contemptuously as “that taiko-mochi� (drum-bearer). From that time, persons who endeavoured to curry favour by flattery began to be spoken of as “taiko-mochi� until the word become almost equivalent to “sycophant.� Yazaemon was the founder of the “Kwanzé� school of drum-beating, and in consideration of his fame in this line he was allowed to sit even in the presence of high dignitaries. In the “I-hon K�-i� (異本考異) portion of the “D�b� Go-yen� (洞房語園) it is stated that the origin of the name taiko-mochi is as above related, and that to match this title prodigals (h�t�-mono = a dissolute person) were called dora-uchi (鉦打 = bell/gong strikers). Of late years, entertainers of guests without special accomplishments have been termed “no-daiko� (“field-drums� or “rustic drums�) and this name was apparently given them as a term of contempt. Nowadays, geisha of both sexes have come into existence and assist in the entertainment of guests and courtesans just like the taiko. In ancient times taiko-mochi were known as taiko-shu. The origin of the h�kan in the Yoshiwara may be traced to olden times. The “Kuruwa Ropp�� (廓六法) says:—“Taiko Naoyuki ga kuro no haori ni tate yotsume no mon-tsuki taru wo kite dote-bushi ut�te uwate-sase ageya no sashi-gami ikutsu mo mochi, un-un� (Taiko Naoyuki was walking along singing a song known as “dote-bushi.� He was wearing a black haori with a “yotsume� crest dyed upon it, and was carrying sashi-gami from ageya [to various courtesans]). This refers to the state of a taiko-mochi being sent round by ageya to call women from brothels. Again it says:—“Taiko-mochi Naoyuki wa Sh�ji no mon wo onore no mon to su * * * (Taiko-mochi Naoyuki appropriated to his own use the crest of Sh�ji (Jinyemon)) * * * mon dokoro made o-ashi ni nitari (even his crest resembled cash). These statements show that this particular taikomochi was greatly liked by the founder of the Yoshiwara—Sh�ji Jinyemon—but from the tone of the language employed we may infer that even in those days the profession was looked down upon as a mean one. About the era of Kwambun (1661–1672) taikomochi came into existence in the Moto-Yoshiwara, and Naoyuki was the most popular of h�kan at that period. In the era of Manji (1658–1660) Kutsuno Jiroyemon was the best known man, while in the era of Genroku (1688–1703) Higeno Mukyū, B�zu Kohei, and Nishuban Kichibei were favourites. The last two were really actors, but they occasionally entered the Yoshiwara in the capacity of taikomochi, and the fact that they were patronized by Kinokuni-ya Bunzaemon is mentioned in different books. About the Meiwa era (1764–1771) a taikomochi named Ippy� was very famous. (It was to the house of this Ippy� that Hiraga Kyūhei went for the purpose of meeting the courtesan Hinadzuru).

Sometimes the h�kan were called “kami� owing to the fact that among the regular attendants of Kinokuni-ya Bunzaemon was a man named Kamiyui Ch�shichi, a hairdresser by profession, who excelled in dancing the gaki-mai (hungry devils’ dance) to the accompaniment of tunes which he whistled, and who was a great favourite with the Yoshiwara women. This individual, being a barber, was called “kami� (contraction of kami-yui = a hair-dresser) which of course was written 髮 (“hair�) but after a time the word was corrupted into kami (神 = a god) and perhaps this was why the name of massha (末社 a “small shrine�) was applied to the attendants of wealthy men and now is used colloquially to mean a “jester� or “buffoon.� The h�kan of the Yoshiwara is considered as below the female geisha in rank. In former times they lived outside the kuruwa and seldom made buffoonery their sole profession, but in the era of Meiwa (1764–1771) and Anyei (1772–1780) they gradually moved into the enclosure, licenses being granted to them by Sh�ji Jinyemon in which they were described as “otoko-geisha� (male geisha). By the 7th year of An-yei (1778) their number had reached twenty and they were recognized as a regular class of professionals. Since the establishment of the kemban-sho in the 8th year of the same era (1779) the geisha of both sexes were brought under its management, but so far as the h�kan were concerned the Government only knew and registered them as dote-ninsoku (embankment coolies) or suibo-kata (coolies provided to guard against flood) so the social status of these men may well be imagined. [At Fukagawa they were officially known as amma (shampooers), at Shinagawa as tsuye-barai (tipstaffs), at Nait� Shinjuku as kera-bori (insect-diggers)].

Geisha, H�kan, and Guest.—Period 1800.