Odoriko Evolve into Geisha
The distinction between the oiran, who continued to serve primarily as courtesans with clients and patrons, and the odoriko, the entertainers, is wide. They were young girls, typically young teenagers hired by the elite as personal performers. The problem with the odoriko is that they would age. Odoriko were supposed to be young and virginal, so when they aged out of the ranks , they had to find another means to support themselves. As time passed, the older performers who had refined their craft stayed on to entertain and perform. These women referred to themselves as geisha, a nod back to the male entertainers of the Edo period. It didn’t take long for geisha to overtake oiran as the entertainer of choice. Intimate favors were not part of the geisha’s official duties, but they were lively companions and performing artists, and captured the heart of Japanese high society.