Concubine

Concubines were mates who were taken for the purpose of fostering an heir in return for compensation. They were not officially part of the family and held no rights as spouses. They were certainly not the same thing as prostitutes, most commonly geisha whose contracts were purchased by the lord, or a daughter from a heimin family, or a ronin or low-status samurai woman. Sword and Fan, p. 141
Category:Culture