ABSTRACT
Nowadaysthereisnofixedruleastothedressofthese women,andtheydressthemselvesinaccordancewiththe wishesofthebrothel-keepersoraccordingtothedictatestheir owntaste.Thuswefindsomeofthemoderncourtesans dressedingoldorsilverembroideredbrocadesafterthe fashionofoimnofbygonedays,othersarecladingaudyred erepe(ki-;ji1··imen)withembroideredcollars,andweargig~utic satinsashes(obi)tiedinfront,whileothersagaintryand makethemselveslookyoungerandprettierbywearingyuzen stuff(generallysilkcrepedecoratedwithvariousbeautiful figures)purplesatincollarsandmaki-obi(anarrowsash woundroundandroundthewaist:thissashisnottiedintoa bowbuttheendismerelytuckedintoholditinplace). Otherwomenwearplaincrestedclothes,orimitatethestyle ofgeisha(singinggirls)orofCourtladies,andothersevengo sofarastoapethe(savethemark!)EuropeanstylelIn low-classhousesalonglooserobe(shilcalce)ofstripedstnfl'and anundergarment(naga-;juba.n)ofmousseline(merensu)composethewholestockofthewardrobeofaprostitute.At presentalonglooserobe(shikake)ofblackcolourisonly wornbythechiefcourtesans(oshok-ukabu)ofthebesthouses. Comparedwiththeluxuriouscostumesofformeryears,the presentholidayclothesofthewomenonlycorrespondin qualitytothoseoftheordinaryevery-daygarmentswornby theirpredecessors:fromthisstatementthecomparatively
inferior nature of the present costumes may he inferred. It is the custom of prostitutes nowadays to wear clothes of striped material (shima-nwno) when they are in their own rooms with intimate guests. In the o mise (best house) after her introduction (hikitsuke) to a stran~e guest (shokwa'i no lcyaku) the servants cry "o rneski-kae" (honourable change of garments), and immediately the courtesan goes to her room, changes her clothes, returns clad in a dress made of some figured material ('moyo mono), and waits on the visitor during the feasting and wine-hibbing which follows. At the time of "o hike" (honourable retirement, i.e.-the time to go to bed) she again changes her clothes for a costume of striped stuff. In the medium and lower class houses the women only change their dress once, and the material employed in their wearing apparel is exclusively crepe (ckirilnen).
