Shamisen player with black kimono

I suspect that this geisha doll reflects the first generation of geishas that went into business after the sumptuary laws went into effect against them through the strings pulled by both Tayuu and Oiran. Female geishas arose from the ranks of the Yujo. However, these first geishas began to steal the clients of Yujos and the higher ranking courtesans began to feel threatened. To combat this, they implored their clients of high social/economic/political standing to enact laws that would prevent competition between the newly minted female geishas against the Yujos. After the sumptuary laws were passed, the geishas were restricted in how they looked; muted color kimonos (i.e. brown, beige, black, grey) without any elaborate ornamentation except on the bottom hems and only on special occasions, 5 hair ornaments (comb, ribbon, 3 hairsticks), no lipcolor, and must be accompanied to and from the places they were invited to perform, they could not solicit or entertain solicitations from male patrons of Yujos, they were not allowed out of their okiyas after 6 pm on certain days except when escorted by men to and from appointments.
Eventually, what was once used as a measure against them turned out to set the stage for a trademark look associated with geishas separate from Yujos. Their simpler look was more desirable, though still pricey for services, they were more accessable than Tayuu and Oiran. It seems that geishas only got bolder and brighter in their hairstyles and kimonos when Tayuu and Oiran became culturally and locally extinct in their areas of operation. Though Yujos continued to exist, they were but a shadow of their former selves when geishas began to dominate female based entertainment. While the Yujos met the needs of men in THAT extreme, geishas had the luxury of being strictly entertainment with no promise or implication of sexual favors. However, regarding the fine line between entertaining and prostitution, that has always been a grey area......