tayū (not geisha) question

[Matsuhide]

Though I understand tayū is now mostly associated with geisha, it also has noh and other master performer roots (*edit* as well as Shinto and Imperial Court, I almost forgot...). I'm not sure where, but I thought I once saw it used in the context of some artisans as well, but I cannot track down where I may have gotten that from. Has anybody else heard of such an application?
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Rekishi to wa, takeyabu ni, tadayotteiru kiri no you na mono desu.

[lordameth]

You mean, just in terms of the application of the term? As in, who is called 太夫？

Personally, I've most often heard the term used to apply to courtesans (not geisha), tayû being the highest rank of courtesan in the Yoshiwara. The term apparently came to be applied to courtesans at a time when it referred to a star performer, whether in Noh, dance, or music - when a courtesan performed somewhere, she'd be described on the bill as a star performer, a tayû, and so the term came to refer to 'star' or 'top' courtesans as well.

Well, then there's also 義太夫 (gidayû), i.e. a bunraku narrator & shamisen player, also known as a tayû. But that's a different story.

I'm not sure I've ever heard the term applied to geisha, but then I also don't know that much about geisha.

I have another source I can check out, but right now I have to run. ... I'll be back later with more on this. A great question; thanks for inspiring me to sit down and look into it.
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My blog on Japanese art & history: http://chaari.wordpress.com

紫水晶殿 - The Amethyst Lord

[lordameth]

The Nihon Kokugo Daijiten lists as the fifth definition for tayû (after the Shinto & performing arts definitions) 「漁師、船頭、人買いなどの頭格の者を呼ぶ称。」

"A term used to refer to head fishermen, boatmen, slave traders and the like." The encyclopedia then offers two 17th century examples of the term being used in that fashion.

I see a lot of references to a wide variety of performing arts, but not to artisans, per se, I'm afraid.
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My blog on Japanese art & history: http://chaari.wordpress.com

紫水晶殿 - The Amethyst Lord

[Matsuhide]

Didn't geisha, more or less, evolve from tayuu?

Anyhow, that last bit from the Kokugo seems especially interesting since the specific examples you listed (fishermen, boatmen, slave traders, etc.) stray a bit from what I would consider "performing arts." They're a bit more... pragmatic(?), so I wonder if the term might have been a bit looser then?

[Obenjo Kusanosuke]

Taiyū was the highest rank a courtesan could obtain and the title was not limited to just the Yoshiwara in Edo but other upper level red light districts as well in other cities. A courtesan was also supposed to be skilled in music, dance, poetry and other arts, but the advent of the geisha removed the blatant art of sex from the courtesan's bag of tricks. Also, a taiyū from the premier districts usually had very well-respected patrons and thus had a decent social standing.
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[lordameth]