low-class licensed prostitute (Edo period)
Historical term for a lower-ranking prostitute in the licensed pleasure quarters of the Edo period. Not used in modern Japanese outside of historical or literary contexts.
In the Edo period, many low-class licensed prostitutes worked in Yoshiwara.
Compound of 端 (hashi, 'edge, low-grade') and 女郎 (jorō, 'prostitute'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term reflects the ranking system within Edo-period pleasure quarters.