JAPANESE OIRAN COURTESAN : BEAUTIFUL GEISHA : FROM US NAVAL OFFICER : RPPC

This vintage real photo postcard features a beautiful Oiran Courtesan accompanied by her young assistants (kamaro). What is an Oiran? An Oiran is a high class, beautiful and esteemed prostitute in Tokyo. Her assistants are often apprentices; in other words, future Oirans. How are Oirans different from Geishas you may ask. Geishas are highly trained entertainers. They entertained via song, dance, or playing a musical instrument. Geishas were not necessarily prostitutes, though some were. This postcard comes from a collection that belonged to a US Navy officer. He likely acquired the card while in a Japanese port during his tour of duty. This postcard likely was issued in around 1908. SOLD

Published in: on September 22, 2025 at 12:00 pm  Leave a Comment  
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PRETTY JAPANESE WOMAN WEARING A KIMONO IN TOKYO JAPAN

This vintage photograph features a pretty Japanese woman wearing a kimono. I am curious about why her hair is styled in such a perfectly coiffed straight up fashion. My guess is that the hair style’s purpose is to show the woman’s complete facial beauty. Just a guess on my part. The previous owner of this photograph identified the year it was taken as 1915. It is likely that this date is printed (in Japanese) on the front of the photograph. At the very least, this image is from circa 1915. The photo was taken by Tanaka who operated a studio in Tokyo, Japan. This antique photograph measures about 6 3/4″ x 3 1/2″ and is in very good condition (see scans). Residue on the reverse of the photograph indicates that it once resided in a photo album.

SOLD

Published in: on June 22, 2018 at 12:00 am  Comments (1)  
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PORTRAIT OF AN ADORABLE FIVE YEAR OLD GIRL IN TOKYO JAPAN

taishoThis vintage photograph compensates for its less than stellar condition by featuring a very cute five year-old girl. She looks adorable in her nice outfit as she displays her long hair under a pretty hat. The previous owner of this image stated that it dates to the Taisho period (1912-1926). It was also reported that the young girl in this photograph was five years of age at the time the image was taken. The photographer of this photographic portrait is M. Matsuda of Tokyo, Japan.

 

Published in: on January 31, 2015 at 11:49 am  Comments (2)  
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