Collective term for geisha and prostitutes, often used in historical or legal contexts. Not a common everyday word.
Under Meiji-era laws, geisha and prostitutes were restricted to designated districts.
Emancipation Edict for geisha and prostitutes (1872)
Compound of 芸妓 (geisha) and 娼妓 (prostitute). The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it appears in legal and administrative contexts from the Meiji period onward.