town geisha; geisha not in a red-light district
Refers to a geisha who works in a regular town area, as opposed to one in a licensed pleasure quarter. The distinction is historical and cultural.
She works as a town geisha, not in the red-light district.
In the Edo period, there was a distinction between town geisha and quarter geisha.
廓芸者 is a geisha working in a licensed red-light district, while 町芸者 works in a regular town area.
芸者 is the general term for geisha; 町芸者 specifies the type based on location.
Standard modern spelling.
Old-form kanji spelling using 藝 instead of 芸; rarely seen today.
Compound of 町 (town) and 芸者 (geisha). The term historically distinguished geisha working in ordinary towns from those in licensed pleasure quarters.