Ōrei

Ōrei [男谅; おうれい] were young male sex workers during the medieval era of Kanton. Ōrei were often passed off as apprentice theatre actors or shōshin (who sometimes engaged in sex work on the side themselves), and catered to a mixed female and male clientele. In general, ōrei were more popular with homosexual men, and rarely provided sexual services for women, usually only accompanying them to events or acting as their romantic companions. Although playing very similar roles to hanaotō, ōrei were considered higher-ranking; their services cost more, and they were selective about their customers.
Ōrei who were not affiliated with theatre troupes could be hired through male brothels or teahouses specialising in providing male prostitutes. They could also find work in shōshin troupes, providing services for the shōshin themselves or for their customers after a performance was over. Ōrei typically charged less than female sex workers of equivalent status, and never became highly respected or prestigious in their work as courtesans like the meiri. Nevertheless, ōrei were relatively popular and commonplace in red light districts from the 15th to 19th centuries, despite increasing legal restrictions towards the end of the 1800s.
Like many sex workers, ōrei were often indentured servants who had been sold to either a brothel, a shōshin house, a teahouse, or a theatre (kyūto) on a specified contract. Establishments dealing solely with ōrei were called ōreiku. Contracted ōrei owed debts to their managers which they had to repay before they could begin to earn their full wages. In order to attract more customers, many ōrei practiced crossdressing and masqueraded as women, referred to as inoruō. Ōrei between the age of 17-18 were known as hamoe and were considered the most appealing. However, many male prostitutes were as young as 14 or 15 when they started working; these boys were known as shimoe.