noun
ordinary woman secretly engaged in prostitution (Edo period)
Historical term from the Edo period referring to a woman who appeared to be an ordinary townswoman but secretly worked as a prostitute. Not used in modern Japanese.
江戸時代には、白湯文字と呼ばれる女性たちがいた。
In the Edo period, there were women called shiroyumoji.
The exact derivation is uncertain; the kanji 白湯文字 literally mean 'white hot-water character', but the term is a historical label for a specific social role.