Takao II (高尾, 1640 – December 5, 1659), also known as Sendai Takao or Manji Takao,[1] was a tayū (highest-ranking courtesan) of the Yoshiwara red light district of Edo, and one of the most famous courtesans of Japan's Edo period (1603–1867). She debuted in 1655 as the leading courtesan of the Great Miura, the most prestigious Yoshiwara brothel of the day, and rapidly became the leading courtesan of the entirety of Yoshiwara.[1]
Takao II would be one of between six and eleven courtesans to hold the myōseki (inherited name) of 'Takao'. She is particularly famous for her affair with daimyō Date Tsunamune; some time after her death, her story would be featured in kabuki (in the play Meiboku Sendai Hagi), in song and literature, though much of it would be fabricated and fictionalized.[2]