Walking Shirabyoshi - Aruki Shirabyoshi

...It is said that courtesans in the camp were tasked with washing the heads of those killed and reapplying the iron paste that had fallen off. In the Muromachi period, the number of courtesans increased, and they spread regionally and became more diverse, but reflecting the rapid changes in society, there were many forms of vagrant prostitution, such as "walking shrine maidens" and "walking shirabyoshi." In the late Middle Ages, as cities developed, courtesans began to concentrate in urban areas, and among them was female kabuki, which began with Okuni. ...

*Some of the terminology that refers to "walking Shirabyoshi" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…陣中の遊女には，討ち取った首を洗い，剝落した鉄漿（おはぐろ）をつけなおす役目が課されたといわれる。室町時代になると遊女の人数も増し，地域的にも拡大して多様化が進んだが，社会変動の激しさを反映して〈歩き巫子〉〈歩き白拍子〉などの浮浪売春の形態が少なくなかった。中世末期には都市の発展につれて，都市部に遊女が集中するようになり，その中にお国に始まる女歌舞伎があった。…

※「歩き白拍子」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報