For the stories of how these names came to be and a glimpse of the rich culture that produced them, go to About Japanese Courtesans’ Names.
Take the rank listings with a grain of salt. Unless a name was borne only by tayū, you can safely assume that almost all these names belonged to oiran-level women.
| Name | Meaning | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agemaki | Trefoil knots (あげまき). A character from The Tale of Genji, whose name is usually spelled 総角. | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Aimi | 会見 | Utagawa Toyokuni I | |
| Ainosuke | Loving helper | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | |
| Aisome | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | ||
| Aizome | 相染 | Eizan | |
| Akashi | Bright stone (明石). Name of a character in The Tale of Genji. | Oiran | The Great Mirror of Love, Eishi |
| Aoi | Hollyhock (葵), a reference to the character Aoi-no-Ue from the Tale of Genji. The name may be new, as Aoi-tayū debuted on November 26, 2014. | Tayū, Shimabara | link |
| Aoyagi | Budding willow (あおやき) | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Asagao | Morning glory (蕣 or 朝顔). A character from The Tale of Genji. | The Great Mirror of Love | |
| Asagiku | Hokusai | ||
| Asazuma | Courtesan | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Awaji | Tayū | Gerstle | |
| Ayaginu | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | ||
| Ayame | Possibly “iris” | Hockley | |
| Azuma | Tayū | Gerstle | |
| Azumaya | Eastern house (あづま屋, あつまや). Title of a chapter in The Tale of Genji. | Oiran | Koryusai, Torii Kiyonaga |
| Bisha | Literally “beautiful + vehicle (美車),” this name is a play on 花車 (“flower vehicle”). Pronounced kasha or kyasha, 花車means “luxury” or “gorgeous.” Pronounced hana-guruma, 花車 is the “cartful of flowers” motif you can see on Bisha’s obi in her photograph. | Tayū | photo, link |
| Chitose | Courtesan, Yoshiwara | Life of an Amorous Woman | |
| Chiyohana | Eternal flower (千代花) | Hockley, 1869 Yokohama Saiken | |
| Chōdayū | Greatest tayū (長太夫). Chōdayū was a courtesan of the Yoshiwara much too late to be an actual tayū, but “tayū” also had the connotation “leading lady, diva.” | Eizan | |
| Chōzan | The greatest mountain (長山) or thousand mountain (千山) | Oiran | Koryūsai, Eishi |
| Daigaku | Great learning (大学) | Tayu | Harunobu |
| Dewa | Courtesan, Osaka | Life of an Amorous Woman | |
| Ebira | ゑべら | Koryūsai | |
| Eguchi | Mouth of the bay/inlet (江口) | Oiran | Eisen |
| Enogiku | えのぎく | Lower-ranked oiran | Eisen |
| Enshu | Courtesan, Kyoto | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Etchu | Courtesan, Inari-machi | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Etō Jū | Hockley | ||
| Fujie | Oiran | Kitagawa Utamaro II | |
| Fujinami | Courtesan, Shimabara | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Fujiyama | Courtesan, Shinmachi | Life of an Amorous Woman | |
| Fumikoshi | 文こし | Oiran | Eishi |
| Hanagumo | Cloud of flowers (花雲). This is a reference to the beauty of cherry trees in full bloom, like low-hanging pink clouds. The name also plays on the “elegant confusion” aesthetic found in Japanese poetry, where poets “mistake” snow for flowers, tears for dew, etc. | Tayū | link, link, link |
| Hanaka | The scent of flowers (花香) | Tayū, Shimabara | link |
| Hanakawa | Probably “river of flowers.” | Courtesan, Tomo-no-Tsu, Bingo Province | Life of an Amorous Man |
| Hanakazura | Flowery chaplet (花かづら) | Koryūsai | |
| Hanakoto | Flowery koto (花琴), or “flowers and koto.” | Tayū | link |
| Hanamado | Window of flowers (花窓) | Tayū | link |
| Hanamachi | Flower market, flower street, flower town (花町) | Oiran | Toyokuni III |
| Hanamurasaki | Purple flower (花紫) | Tayu, Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Hanando | Flowery person, flowery one (花人) | Chūsan | Eizan |
| Hananoka | Possibly “fragrance of the flowers.” | Tayū | photo |
| Hananosuke | Flowery helper | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | |
| Hanaōgi | Flowery fan (花扇 or 花あふき). One of the great myōseki, borne by a long line of famed Yoshiwara oiran at the Ōgiya, the “House of the Fan.” | Sancha | Koryūsai |
| Hanasaki | Tayū, Shimabara | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Hanateru | Shining flower | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | |
| Hanatsuma | Flowery wife (花妻) | Utagawa Toyokuni I | |
| Hanazuru | Probably “flowery crane” | Hockley | |
| Handayū | 半太夫 | Koryūsai | |
| Hankai | Tayū, Yodo area | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Harukano | Hockley | ||
| Haruyama | Spring mountain | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | |
| Hashidate | 橋たて, 橋立. The pine-covered Ama-no-Hashidate sandbar is one of Japan’s Three Scenic Views. | Utagawa Toyokuni I, 1869 Yokohama Saiken | |
| Hatsugiku | First chrysanthemum of the season | Tayū | Seigle |
| Hatsune | The first warbling birdsong of the new year (初音), a chapter title from The Tale of Genji. | Tayū | The Great Mirror of Love, Gerstle |
| Hayama | Hockley, Kitao Shigemasa | ||
| Hinazuru | Little tiny crane, or crane chick (雛鶴 or ひな鶴) | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Hisakata | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | ||
| Hitomoto | Kitagawa Utamaro | ||
| Hyosaku | Courtesan, Otsu | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Ichihashi | Courtesan, Shinmachi | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Ichikawa | Market river (市川) | Oiran | Utagawa Toyokuni I |
| Ihosaku | いほさく | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Imaoka | Hockley | ||
| Isoyama | いそ山 | Eishi | |
| Itotaki | Thread cascade, thread waterfall (糸滝) | Oiran | Choubunsai Eishi |
| Itsuhata | いつはた | Oiran | Choubunsai Eishi |
| Itsutsu | Courtesan, Shinmachi | Life of an Amorous Woman | |
| Iwanami | Literally “boulder + wave (岩なみ, 岩波).” Presumably the name of a place or person of importance. | Courtesans of Shinagawa, Yokohama | Kitao Shigemasa, 1869 Yokohama Saiken |
| Kachō | Flowers and birds (花鳥 or かちょう) | Oiran | Utagawa Toyokuni II |
| Kaguyama | Possibly “香久山” | Tayū | Seigle |
| Kaomachi | Face + town (顔町) | Oiran | Toyokuni III |
| Kaoru | Fragrance (かほる or 薫), a (male) character from the Tale of Genji. | Tayū, oiran | The Great Mirror of Love, Utagawa Toyokuni I |
| Kaozuma | Wifely expression? (顔妻) | Oiran | Toyokuni III |
| Karaaya | Kitao Shigemasa | ||
| Karagoto | Chinese koto (唐琴) | Kitagawa Utamaro | |
| Karahashi | 唐はし(?) | Oiran or shinzo | Hockley |
| Karauta | Chinese poem (唐歌 or から歌), connoting scholarly refinement | Oiran | Eishi |
| Karyū | de Becker | ||
| Kasen | Courtesan, Kyoto | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Kashiku | かしく | Utagawa Toyokuni II | |
| Kashiwagi | Oak tree (柏木), a (male) character from the Tale of Genji. | The Great Mirror of Love | |
| Kasuga | Spring day, spring sunlight (春日) | Tayū | link |
| Kasugano | A meadow on a spring day (春日野) | Oiran | Eishi |
| Katachino | かたちの | Oiran | Torii Kiyonaga |
| Katsuyama | かつ山, 勝山 | Oiran | Eisen |
| Kawachi no Kami | Tayū | link | |
| Kayoiji | かよひぢ | Koryūsai | |
| Kazaori | Bending in the wind (風折) | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Kazuragi | Tayū | Gerstle | |
| Kichō | Rejoicing butterfly (喜蝶) or greatest rejoicing (喜長) | Oiran | Toyokuni III, Utagawa Kunisada I |
| Kikugawa | Chrysanthemum river (菊川) | Tayū | link |
| Kimidayū | Noble tayū, or splendid tayū (君太夫) | Tayū | photo |
| Kindayū | Possibly “golden tayū (金太夫)” | Courtesan, Shinmachi | Life of an Amorous Man |
| Kiriyama | Courtesan, Osaka | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Kisaragi | February (如月), literally the “month of wearing extra layers of clothes.” | Tayū | Immortal Geisha, photo |
| Kisegawa | Rejoicing shallow river (喜瀬川) | Oiran | Eishi |
| Kiyohana | Possibly “pure flower (清花),” using the “pure” character that implies brilliance and clarity rather than moral purity. | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | |
| Kiyohara | Possibly a reference to the Pure Land (浄原), a Buddhist heaven. | Courtesan, Shinmachi | Life of an Amorous Woman |
| Kiyohashi | Courtesan, Shinmachi | Life of an Amorous Woman | |
| Kochō | Butterfly (胡蝶), a chapter name in The Tale of Genji. Not to be confused with “little butterfly (小蝶),” also pronounced Kochō, which was both an ordinary nickname for women named Chō (蝶) and a popular geisha name. | The Great Mirror of Love | |
| Kodayū | Little tayū (小大夫) | Courtesan, Otsu | Life of an Amorous Man, photo |
| Kofuji | Tayū | Gerstle | |
| Koimurasaki | Dark purple (濃紫). A myōseki of the Corner Tamaya. | Oiran | Eizan |
| Kokonoe | Ninefold (九重), which can also refer to the nine enclosures of the old imperial palace at Nara. The name may evoke the classical poem “The Lady Ise.” | Koryusai, link | |
| Komachi | Ono no Komachi was one of the most brilliant poets of the Heian era. She is now as famed for her beauty as for her poetry, and her romances are legendary. (One of the stories of her romances was later retold about an Edo-era courtesan.) Her name literally means “little street (小町).” | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | |
| Komurasaki | Little Murasaki (小むらさき). A name that evokes the heroine (and the author) of The Tale of Genji. A great myōseki of the Corner Tamaya in the Yoshiwara. | Tayū until 1761 and then sancha/chūsan | The Great Mirror of Love, Eishousai Chouki |
| Konoe | Tayū | Immortal Geisha | |
| Konokimi | Current lord, or coming excellence (此君) | Koryusai | |
| Koshiba | Tayū | Gerstle | |
| Koshikibu | Refers to a Heian-era poetess. | Hockley | |
| Kotoji | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | ||
| Kotoura | Kitao Shigemasa | ||
| Kumoi | 雲井. An archaic word for the sky that can also refer to clouds or to the imperial court. | Tayū | 1869 Yokohama Saiken, link |
| Kuranosuke | Courtesan, Kyoto | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Kurobune | Tayu, Osaka area | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Makanoya | Gokyō | ||
| Makiginu | Roll of silk (巻絹) | Toyokuni III | |
| Makinoto | 巻の戸 | Oiran | Eishi |
| Manko | Tayū | Gerstle | |
| Manzan | まん山 | Koryusai | |
| Masanagi | 政那木 | Toyokuni III | |
| Matsubito | One who is as faithful and enduring as a pine (松人) | Oiran | Katsukawa Shunchou |
| Matsukaze | Wind in the pines (松風 or まつ風), the name of a chapter in The Tale of Genji. | Oiran | The Great Mirror of Love, Eijudou, Kitagawa Utamaro |
| Matsui | Well by a pine tree (松井) | Koryusai | |
| Matsunoi | Well by a pine tree (松の井) | Koryusai | |
| Matsushima | Isle of pine trees (松島). Matsushima is one of the Three Scenic Views of Japan. | Oiran | Toyokuni III |
| Matsuyama | Pine mountain (松山) | Oiran | Eishi |
| Mayuzumi | まゆずみ | Oiran | Katsukawa Shunchou |
| Meizan | めいざん | Katsukawa Shunchou | |
| Michie | みちゑ | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Michihama | 道はま | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Michiharu | 道はる | Koryūsai | |
| Michinoku | みちのく | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Michishio | みちしほ. High tide (満潮). | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Mifune | Courtesan, Shinmachi | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Mikasa | Tayū | Gerstle | |
| Minakawa | Courtesan, Inari-machi | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Minato | 三奈戸 | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | |
| Minori | Law (御法). The name of a chapter from The Tale of Genji. | The Great Mirror of Love | |
| Misayama | 見さ山, Mountain of the beautiful companion (美佐山) | Oiran | Choubunsai Eishi, Choubunsai Eishi |
| Mitsuaya | 三つあや | Koryusai | |
| Mitsuharu | みつはる | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Mitsuōgi | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | ||
| Mitsuozi | photo | ||
| Mitsu’ura | みつうら | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Miura | Tayū | Seigle | |
| Miyagawa | Shrine river or palace river (宮川) | Oiran | Utagawa Sadahide |
| Miyahito | Mugwort-husk hermit (蓬莢仙). Presumably a literary or mythological reference. | Oiran | Eishi |
| Miyakoji | みやこぢ | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Miyakono | みやこの | Koryūsai | |
| Miyazato | Palace village (宮里) | Tayū | link |
| Miyoharu | Spring of the beautiful generation (美代春) | Toyokuni III | |
| Miyoshi | Courtesan, Kyoto | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Miyoteru | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | ||
| Momiji | Autumn colors, or the maple tree (紅葉). | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | |
| Morokoshi | Chinese soil (唐土). Pronounced toudo, these kanji are an archaic term for China. | Tayū, oiran | Choukousai Eishou |
| Murasaki | The color purple or violet (紫), a reference to both the heroine of the Tale of Genji and its author. | The Great Mirror of Love | |
| Musashi | Courtesan, Shinmachi | Life of an Amorous Woman | |
| Nagahashi | Courtesan, Shinmachi | Life of an Amorous Woman | |
| Nagajima | Tayū | Gerstle | |
| Nagao | Excellent (or long) + o [feminine name ending] (長尾). Names of this type—a common female name plus the ending –o—were coming into use among the educated classes at the time that Nagao was active. | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | |
| Nanaaya | Sevenfold brocade (七綾). The silk known as aya was brilliantly colored and a byword for beauty. | Koryūsai | |
| Nanakoshi | Sevenfold excellence (七越, 七こし) | Oiran | Eishi, Katsukawa Shunchou |
| Nioteru | Little grebe + comparison, reflection (鳰照, にほてる) | Oiran | Eisen |
| Nishikido | Brocade door (錦戸), a family name and the name of a Nō play. | Tayu, Oiran | Eishi |
| Nishikigi | Literally “brocade tree” (錦木), referring to the winged spindle-tree or burning bush, which turns brilliant red in the fall. | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | |
| Nokaze | Wind in the fields (野風) | Tayū | Harunobu, Gerstle |
| Nokiba | Under the eaves (軒端), a reference to the “Lady of the West Wing” (Nokiba no Ōgi, 軒端荻), a character from The Tale of Genji. | The Great Mirror of Love | |
| Nose | Courtesan, Kyoto | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Nowaki | Autumn typhoon (野分), a chapter title from The Tale of Genji. | The Great Mirror of Love | |
| Ogino | Courtesan, Shinmachi | Life of an Amorous Woman | |
| Ohashi | Great bridge (大橋) | Tayū, Shimabara | Life of an Amorous Man, link |
| Onoe | Tayū | Gerstle | |
| Ōi | Large town (大井) | Kitagawa Utamaro I | |
| Ōkado | Great gate (大門) | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | |
| Okoto | Courtesan | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Orihae | Opportunity for glory? (折栄, 折はえ, or 折はへ ) | Oiran, Chūsan | Kitagawa Utamaro |
| Ōryoku | 鴨縁 | Toyokuni III | |
| Otoiro | Hockley | ||
| Otome | Maiden (乙女). A chapter title from The Tale of Genji. | The Great Mirror of Love | |
| Otowa | Tayu | Seigle | |
| Ōsumi | Literally”great dwelling (大住),” probably a place name. | de Becker, 1869 Yokohama Saiken | |
| Ōyodo | Large pool (大淀) | Oiran | Utagawa Sadahide |
| Sakaki | Literally “sacred tree,” the sakaki (榊) is a species of flowering evergreen that is sacred to Shinto. The name of a chapter in The Tale of Genji. | The Great Mirror of Love | |
| Sakuragi | Cherry tree (桜木) | Tayū | link |
| Sanshū | 三しう | Oiran | Eishi |
| Satogiku | Village chrysanthemum | Tayū | link |
| Sazanami | Tayu, Fushimi area | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Segawa | Shallow river (滝川), one of the most famous Yoshiwara myōseki. | Sancha | Eishi |
| Senshu | Utagawa Kunisada I | ||
| Senzan | Thousand mountain (千山) | Oiran | Choubunsai Eishi |
| Seyama | 瀬や満 or river rapids mountain, river shallows mountain (瀬山) | Oiran | Kansendou, Eishi |
| Shiga | Courtesan, Shinmachi | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Shinowara | Field of bamboo (篠原 or しの原) | Oiran | Choubunsai Eishi |
| Shiragiku | White chrysanthemum (白菊) | Eisen | |
| Shiraito | しらいと. Possibly referring to Shiraito Falls, a famous waterfall near Mount Fuji. | Lower-ranking oiran | Koryūsai |
| Shiratama | White jewel (白玉) | Oiran | Utagawa Kunisada I |
| Shiratsuyu | しらつゆ | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Shirayu | Katsukawa Shunchou | ||
| Shirotae | 白たえ | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Shizuka | 静 or しづか. A reference to Shizuka, consort of the tragic hero Yoshitsune. | Oiran | Torii Kiyonaga |
| Someginu | Kitao Shigemasa | ||
| Somekawa | Dyed river (染川). Dyeing implies lots of beautiful colors. | Oiran | Katsukawa Shunchou |
| Somenosuke | Dyed helper (染之介) | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Someyama | Dyed mountain (染山) | Eishi | |
| Sugatami | Literally “full-length mirror” (姿見), Sugatami is the name of a lake that lies below and reflects Mt. Asahidake. | Kitagawa Utamaro I | |
| Sugawara | 菅原. A reference to the 10th-century poet Sugawara Michizane. | Eishousai Chouki | |
| Suma | Suma (須磨), a town where Genji undergoes voluntary exile. | The Great Mirror of Love | |
| Sumunoe | Courtesan, Shinmachi | Life of an Amorous Woman | |
| Tachibana | Standing flower (立花) | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | |
| Tagasode | たかそて, “Whose sleeves?” (誰袖) | Oiran | Koryūsai, 1869 Yokohama Saiken |
| Takahashi | Tayuu, Shimabara | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Takahata | たかはた | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Takama | Courtesan, Shinmachi | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Takamatsu | High pines (高松) | Tayū | link |
| Takamura | 高むら | Koryūsai | |
| Takao | 高尾. Named for Takao Mountain, which was “renowned for its autumn colors.” Takao was the tayū name of all tayū names, borne by eleven women of the Yoshiwara between 1656 and 1741; the incomparable Takaos were so well known that the myōseki has its own history book, the Takao Annals. When the rank of tayū disappeared from the Yoshiwara, other tayū myōseki were transferred to women of the next highest rank, but Takao was sacrosanct. | Tayū only, never transferred to a lower rank | Tomonobu, Gerstle |
| Takasago | Literally “high sand (高砂).” A place in Hyougo prefecture known for its beautiful views of pine trees by the sea, which inspired a Noh play about long-lasting love. | Tayū | link, link |
| Takashima | Tayū | Gerstle | |
| Takigawa | River rapids (滝川 or たき川) | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Takihashi | Waterfall bridge (滝はし) | Utagawa Toyokuni I | |
| Takihime | Waterfall princess (滝ひめ) | Utagawa Toyokuni I | |
| Takikawa | 瀧川 | Kitagawa Tsukimaro | |
| Tamagawa | Jewel river (玉川) | Eisen | |
| Tamagiku | Jeweled chrysanthemum (玉菊) | Eishi | |
| Tamakazura | Jeweled chaplet or jeweled wreath (玉鬘). The name of a chapter of The Tale of Genji. | Courtesan, Shinmachi | The Great Mirror of Love, Life of an Amorous Woman |
| Tamakoto | Jeweled koto (玉琴) | Oiran | Eisen |
| Tamakushi | Jeweled comb (玉櫛) | Oiran | Kikumaro |
| Taoyagi | Captivating, lustrous, colorful + cosmetics (艶粧) | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | |
| Teika | Tayū | Gerstle, Okomura Masanobu | |
| Tokiwazu | 常盤津 | Oiran | Eishi |
| Tomikawa | River of abundance (富川) | Oiran | Eishi |
| Tomoe | Courtesan, Shinmachi | Life of an Amorous Woman | |
| Toranosuke | Courtesan, Otsu | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Tosa | Tayū | Gerstle | |
| Toyoharu | Abundant spring | Hockley | |
| Toyooka | Hill of abundance (豊岡) | Utagawa Toyokuni I | |
| Toyosumi | 豊すみ | Oiran | Eishi |
| Toyoura | Courtesan, Shinmachi | Life of an Amorous Woman | |
| Toyoyama | Mountain of plenty (豊山) | Oiran | Eisen |
| Tsukasa | “Tsukasa” (司) is the name of an official or a bureau in the old government system. | Tayū | link, link |
| Tsukioka | Moon hill (月岡) | Kitagawa Utamaro I | |
| Tsumaki | Courtesan | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Tsumagiku | Koryūsai | ||
| Tsuruno-o | つるの尾 | Koryūsai | |
| Tsushima | Tayū | Gerstle | |
| Ukifune | Drifting boat (浮船). A heroine from The Tale of Genji whose love affair ends in attempted suicide and religious seclusion. | Oiran | The Great Mirror of Love, Eijudou |
| Ukihashi | Floating bridge (浮橋), a reference to “The Floating Bridge of Dreams,” a chapter title from The Tale of Genji. | The Great Mirror of Love | |
| Ume | Generation + eye, look, glance, viewpoint (代目). Probably an elegant (and rare) respelling of the common name Ume (plum blossom, 梅). | Lower-ranking oiran | Toyokuni III |
| Umegae | Branch of plum blossoms (梅枝), a chapter title from The Tale of Genji. | The Great Mirror of Love | |
| Umenoka | Perfume of the plum blossom (梅の香) | Koryūsai | |
| Ureshino | うれしの | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Usugumo | Faint clouds (薄雲). Also the name of a chapter of The Tale of Genji. In the Yoshiwara, Usugumo was a myōseki of the Great Miura, one of the great tayū houses of the early 18th century. In 1748, the last Usugumo of the Great Miura retired, heralding the decline and eventual disappearance of the Great Miura. The name itself continued to be used in other houses. The Wachigaiya, the last remaining tayū house, still has an Usugumo-dayū. | The Great Mirror of Love, de Becker | |
| Utagawa | River of song (歌川) | Oiran | Eishi |
| Utagiku | Chrysanthemum of song (歌菊) | Oiran | Eishi |
| Utahime | Princess of song (歌姫) | Tayu, Oiran | Torii Kiyonaga |
| Utamachi | うたまち | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Utanosuke | Singing helper, or poem helper | 1869 Yokohama Saiken | |
| Utaura | Inlet of song, coast of song (歌浦) | Oiran, Shinagawa courtesan | Choubunsai Eishi, Kitao Shigemasa |
| Utsusemi | Cicada shell (空蝉), a chapter from The Tale of Genji. | The Great Mirror of Love | |
| Wakagumo | Young cloud (若雲) | Tayū | link |
| Wakagusa | Possibly “fresh young grass.” | Hokusai | |
| Wakakusa | Fresh young grass (若草) | Oiran | Eijudou |
| Wakamatsu | 若まつ Possibly “young pine tree.” | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Wakamurasaki | Young Murasaki (若むらさき), a name referring to both the heroine of the Tale of Genji and its author. | Oiran | The Great Mirror of Love, Koryūsai |
| Wakana | Young + na [a kanji used for its sound rather than its meaning] (若那), fresh young leaves (若菜). A reference to the Tale of Genji. | Oiran | The Great Mirror of Love, Eishi, Kitagawa Utamaro |
| Wakanoura | Possibly 和歌浦, ‘inlet of harmonious song.” | Kitagawa Utamaro | |
| Wakatsuru | Possibly “young crane.” | Hockley | |
| Wakaume | Young plum blossom (若梅) | Kitagawa Utamaro I | |
| Wakayanagi | Young willow (若柳) | Oiran | photo |
| Wakoku | Harmonious country (和国), an old name for Japan | Koryūsai | |
| Washu | Courtesan, Osaka | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Watarai | 度会 | Oiran | Kitagawa Utamaro I |
| Yachiyo | Eightfold eternity, or eight thousand generations (八千代). Eight was a symbol for uncountable numbers, so Yachiyo can also be translated as “thousands upon thousands of generations.” It may derive from “Kimigayo,” a Heian-era poem that eventually became Japan’s national anthem. | Tayū, then oiran | Toyokuni III |
| Yaegiri | Courtesan, Shinmachi | Life of an Amorous Woman | |
| Yakumo | Eight clouds (八雲). The number eight has the connotation of gradually increasing, especially increasing prosperity. | Tayū | photo |
| Yamato | Courtesan, Shinmachi | Life of an Amorous Woman | |
| Yashima | Courtesan, Tomo-no-Tsu, Bingo Province | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Yatsuhashi | 八ツ橋 | Oiran | Toyokuni III |
| Yorozudayū | 万太夫 | Oiran | Koryūsai |
| Yoshida | Courtesan, Yoshiwara | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Yoshino | The name of a mountain famed for its clouds of cherry blossoms. Literally “auspicious field (吉野). ” A prominent Yoshiwara myōseki, as well as a Kyoto tayū myouseki. | Tayū, Yūna | Hokkei |
| Yoshioka | Courtesan | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Yoshizaki | Courtesan, Osaka | Life of an Amorous Man | |
| Yosooi | Oiran | Kitagawa Utamaro | |
| Yoyotake | Generation after generation of longevity like the bamboo (代々竹) | Kitagawa Shikimaro | |
| Yoyotose | Energy (or military might) ascending for generation after generation (代々登勢) | Kitagawa Shikimaro | |
| Yoyotoshi | 代々年 | Kitagawa Utamaro I | |
| Yūbae | Splendor of the evening (夕栄) | Oiran | Katsukawa Shunchou |
| Yūgiri | Evening mist (夕霧). The name of a character in The Tale of Genji. | Tayū | The Great Mirror of Love, Gerstle |
| Yūgao | Twilight beauty (夕顔). The name of a character in The Tale of Genji. | The Great Mirror of Love | |
| Yukiai | Journey + meeting (行合) | Eizan |
Updated 12/16/2014