Goze

(瞽女^?) is a Japanese historic term referring to visually impaired Japanese women, of whom most worked as musicians.

Goze organizations existed to allow blind women a degree of independence in pursuing their careers as musicians (or in some cases massage).

The central rules governing goze behavior was to obey teachers, to be humble towards donors, and not engage in activities that might contravene the morality of the feudal society in which goze operated. Although not stipulated in detail, perhaps the most important rule was, as was expected of nuns, not to have a lover, marry, or produce offspring. If such an offense was detected, it easily resulted in the expulsion of a goze from the group. 

Rules were also necessary in part because many goze spent a good part of the year on the road, touring from village to village and depending on farmers to allow them to spend the night and use their houses as makeshift concert halls.

The repertory of most goze has been lost, but songs of goze from Niigata, Nagano, Saitama, and Kagoshima prefectures have been recorded. The vast majority of these recordings are from what is today Niigata prefecture.