Results of Medical Inspection.

Results of Medical Inspection.
1897.

Month.Number of inspections.Number of infected cases.Proportion per 100.Number of guests entertained.
January9,5153403.573135,356
February9,3833723.96598,981
March11,1373813.421107,842
April9,8794764.816130,524
May9,9564254.278109,769
June11,0624664.21299,398
July10,0665975.930106,527
August10,6566185.79999,441
September10,6486115.738100,870
October9,6515065.242115,961
November10,7926135.679119,403
December11,0654564.121101,596
Total123,81058614.7331,335,668

There were about 2900 to 3000 women in the Shin-Yoshiwara, and therefore each yūjo must have entertained, on the average, between 415 to 460 guests during the year.

Mu-sen Yū-ky�.
(Going on a “Spree� without having any money to pay for it.)

Ebisu (The God of Wealth).

Mu-sen yū-ky�, or going on a gay frolic without being possessed of the necessary means, is locally known in the Yoshiwara as “Ebisu-k�� or H�ritsu (“Law�). The former term has been brought into use because the majority of those who intentionally go “on the spree� without money attire themselves in the garb of wealthy people and so resemble the God of Wealth (Ebisu), who is much en evidence at the festival of “Ebisuk�� (in honor of the God of Wealth), although in reality they haven’t a “red cent� (bita-ichi-mon) with which to bless themselves when the time for squaring up accounts comes. The latter term has been coined owing to the fact that a large number of law (h�ritsu) students have been guilty of swindling, but they generally contrive to evade their liabilities by means of ingenious arguments and managing to force their victims into committing technically illegal acts of which they take mean advantage and which they use as a weapon against creditors. As a matter of fact, the brothel-keepers sometimes find it impossible to appeal to the police, and are often forced to “grin and bear� their losses in silence owing to the “cuteness� and sophistry of the “h�ritsu.� It is not uncommon for men belonging to the shokunin (artisan) class to enter a brothel under the influence of liquor without consulting the state of their purses, and consequently to find themselves confronted next morning with a long bill which they cannot settle. These fellows are taken in hand by professional “fixers� (shimatsuya = one who “fixes up� and settles matters) called “uma-ya� (horse-houses) who undertake to collect the bill on commission. The “fixers,� or “uma-ya,� send a messenger, known as an “uma� (horse), home with such defaulting guest, and this “uma� will dog the footsteps of the debtor until the latter pays his bill. Cases have however been known where the guest conducted a “horse� (uma) to a certain house, which he pretended was his own, entered on the pretext of obtaining some money, and walking through quietly, slid out of the back-door and escaped. But even when a guest temporarily escapes in this way, he is generally detected, and then, if he can’t pay, the “uma� levy a squeeze of 50 sen per day on their victims.

(Daruma.)

The “Ebisu-k�� plan of having a “good time� gratuitously is made a kind of profession of by some rascals, and it is said that in T�ky� there are several societies or bands (kumi or gumi) of expert swindlers in this line. Thus there are the Hongo-gumi, Kanda-gumi, Shitaya-gumi, Shiba-gumi, Fukagawa-gumi, etc., each kumi taking its name from the district to which it belongs. There is also a special kumi called “Daruma-gumi,� because its members have the figure of Daruma tatooed on their forearms, and carry on their fraudulent operations in a delightfully free and easy manner. The figure of Daruma is supposed to represent the celebrated prince and priest of Southern India—Dahma. This holy patriarch sat for nine years in profound abstraction till his legs fell off, therefore he is described in Japanese as “o ashi no nai� (“being without any august legs�) but this, by a pun on the words, can be understood as “being without any august cash.� Considering that the members of this “Daruma-gumi� never pay for anything, the “trade-mark� they have adopted is certainly very appropriate! Among the members of these beautiful societies, the act of evading payment of bills is known as “Kipparai� (Kipparau = to cut right through an obstruction) or “Nakaseru� (“to cause to weep�).

Yoshiwara-gayoi no Jinrikisha.
(The jinrikisha traffic of the Yoshiwara.)

The use of tsuji-kago (palanquin) by the general public was permitted from the Genroku era (1688–1703), but the number of these conveyances in Yedo was limited to one hundred only! People, therefore, were in the habit of visiting the Yoshiwara on horseback. [The name of a street in the Yoshiwara—Uma-michi (Horse-street)—testifies to the fact that horses used to pass to and from the quarter.] Later on the palanquin traffic increased, but with the appearance of the Meiji (present) period, kago dropped out of fashion.

The jinrikisha-men who ply between the Yoshiwara and Uma-michi are called among themselves “yonashi� (an abbreviation of yonabe-shi = night-workers), owing to the fact that they sleep during the day-time and go to work at night. The best known jinrikisha houses (“Ban� 番) in the neighbourhood of the Yoshiwara are called:—“Tatsu-shin,� “Hage-gumi,� “Honch�-ban,� “Dote-gumi,� “Misawa,� etc. The men belonging to these houses come out to pick up fares about dusk, and fortified with a “helmet of saké� chase after any likely pedestrian, accosting him with the words:—“Danna, naka madé ikaga desu?� (“Master, how would you like to go as far as the Yoshiwara?�). At first these knights of the jinrikisha demand an exorbitant fare, but reduce the same, after some haggling on the part of the would-be riders, to about 15 sen per ri. As soon as the man has settled terms, he will probably exclaim “oi kita! hora yo!� (almost untranslatable) and picking up the shafts of the vehicle start off as fast as his legs can carry him, brandishing his lantern (they call it a “kamban� among the jinrikisha fraternity) as he speeds along. A coolie who aims to secure a tip will probably ask his customer “Danna, dochira ye tsukemasu?� (“Master, to which house shall I take you?�) and if the reply is “Nani, �-mon de yoroshii� (“Oh, just put me down at the great gate�) the rider is probably only bent on a stroll through the Yoshiwara for the purpose of sight-seeing. If, on the contrary, a fare replies “Emon-zaka de orosé� (“Put me down at Emon-zaka�), he is generally a cowardly fellow who is desirous of protecting himself from the jinrikisha-puller’s demand for additional payment by means of the close vicinity of the police-box on the hill.

Jinrikisha (“Kuruma�) with puller and pusher (at�shi).

When two kuruma-ya are employed—one as an at�shi (pusher) or tsunappiki (extra puller in front)—three times the single fare is usually demanded because one of the men must return without a vehicle, and cannot therefore pick up a fare on his way back. The at�shi or tsunappiki has to waste his time in going home, whereas the man who has his jinrikisha with him can generally earn something by picking up a fare on his return journey.

When a jinrikisha-man has brought a guest to a brothel or tea-house he is usually given a tip of from 20 to 30 sen, which is paid by the house and afterwards charged to the guest. There is also a body of jinrikisha-coolies known as “m�r�-shafu� (“shady� jinrikisha-men) who are invariably very bad characters. Sometimes these rascals have an arrangement with certain of the lower-class brothels (bori-ya=greedy and covetous houses) to inveigle country-folk into their dens and thus make improper gains. Among the m�r�-shafu there have been desperate scoundrels who even dared to go the length of taking fares to lonely places and there robbing them of valuables and money after the fashion of highwaymen, but, owing to the stringent police system, as well as the control exercised by the jinrikisha-men’s guild, these evils have been greatly diminished. As regards the slang used by the Yoshiwara jinrikisha coolies, there seems to be but little difference between it and that employed by outside jinrikisha-men.

Jinrikisha (“Kuruma�) with puller and “tsunappiki.�

Their method of counting is as follows:—

Yoshiwara Slang.Ordinary Japanese.Meaning.
OjiIs-sen 1 sen.
JibaNi sen 2 “
YamiSan sen 3 “
DariShi sen 4 “
GenkoGo sen 5 “
RonjiRoku sen 6 “
SeinanShichi sen 7 “
BandoHas-sen 8 “
KiwaKu sen 9 “
DoteJis-sen10 “
FurikanNi-jis-sen20 “
YariNi-jū-go-sen25 “
Furi or “Hansuke�Go-jis-sen50 “
Ō-yari or EnsukeIchi yen or Ichi mai 1 yen.

Other slang words abound, but we have not space enough to give more than a few examples:—

Yaka. Being in a hurry (Isogu koto.)

Yanagi. Not being in a hurry (Isoganai-koto.)

Kaidashi. This word is used to express the idea of a jinrikisha-man taking a fare to a certain place at a very cheap rate with the object of securing a better fare on his return journey.

Aibako. (Ni-nin-nori no kuruma) A jinrikisha to seat two fares.

Monde-yuku. The act of changing half-way when two jinrikisha are being pulled in company and one contains two people and the other only one person.

Terashi. (R�soka) A candle.

There is a funny story told relative to the introduction of jinrikishas, and the consequent falling into desuetude of palanquins. A certain guest asked his “lady friend� in a brothel if she could tell him what sign was most used on the lanterns of jinrikisha-men: she promptly replied “Yamagata ni ka no ji ga � gozaimasu� (“Mostly the shape of a mountain Ʌ with the katakana syllable “ka�—カ—�). She was thinking of the signs used to denote the different classes of prostitutes (vide page [123]) and mistook the characters 人力 (jinriki) for the sign

and the syllable カ. It appears that in those early days the names of districts or guilds were not painted on the lanterns, but merely the two characters 人力 (jinriki), and hence the comical error!

Sanya-uma da-chin-dzuké.
(The cost of hiring horses to and from the Yoshiwara.)

The “Kinsei Kisekik�� (新世奇跡考) says that in the olden days young bloods who frequented the Yoshiwara used to travel to and fro on horse-back. It was also a fashion of the period to consider everything white to be tasteful. Thus the craze went so far that people fancied white horses, white sword-hilts, white leather hakama (loose pantaloons), white sleeves, and white everything else. In a book called the “Ko-uta S�-makuri� (�唄總��り)—published in the second year of the Kwambun (1661–1372) era—the following scale of charges for horse-hire is given:—

The “Sanya-uma.�

Guests going to the Yoshiwara (From an old print.)

From Nihon-bashi to the gate of the Yoshiwara. Ordinary charge.200 mon (20 sen)
Ditto, with a caparisoned white horse, and two footmen singing the “Komuro-bushi� song.348 mon (34 sen 8 rin)
From Iida-machi to the gate of the Yoshiwara. Ordinary charge.200 mon (20 sen)
Ditto, with a caparisoned white horse, and two footmen singing the “Komuro-bushi� song.348 mon (34 sen 8 rin)
From the Asakusa gate to the gate of the Yoshiwara. Ordinary charge.132 mon (13 sen 2 rin)
Ditto, with a caparisoned white horse, and two footmen singing the “Komuro-bushi� song.248 mon (24 sen 8 rin)

The above proves the taste of the period for white horses, and besides this there was a song in vogue in the Meireki era (1655–1657) which described the graceful appearance of a man of rank visiting the Yoshiwara on the back of a white steed.

By�-chū oyobi In-shoku no koto.
(Of the sickness of prostitutes and of their meals.)

Generally speaking, every yūjo possesses a room in which she lives irrespective of the fact of whether she has visits from guests or otherwise; but, in some houses, when a prostitute falls sick, she is not allowed to remain in her room, and is sent down to the �-beya (large apartment) for treatment: this room is known among the inmates of the brothel as “yosé-ba� (place of gathering).

In a courtesan’s apartment is to be found every cooking utensil necessary in the preparation of a meal, and therefore many of the girls take their meal in their own room, merely getting boiled rice up from the kitchen and preparing other articles themselves.

In some houses however, all the inmates have dinner together in the kitchen, and so there is an old saying—“Yūjo wo nabe-kama nashi no shotai-mochi� (“Yūjo are like house-holders who are possessed of neither pots nor pans.�) In the Kajita-r� the yūjo used to make their servants boil rice for them in their own rooms over charcoal fires.

Hiké no koto.
(Closing hours in the Yoshiwara.)

Mention is made in the “Yoshiwara Ōkagami� (�原大鑑) that the hiké was fixed at 10 o’clock, but afterwards this was considered too early, and no clapping of hy�shigi (a pair of wooden blocks which are struck together as a signal) was made at that hour. The great gate (Ō-mon) was shut at 10 o’clock, but the kuguri-do (a small low door cut in a gate) was left open so as to permit ingress and egress. When the hour of midnight struck, (then called kokonotsu-doki), the hy�shigi were clapped together four times, and the place was finally closed up.

K�ch� no koto.
(The next morning.)

In the “Yoshiwara Ōkagami� (�原大鑑)—referred to in the preceding chapter—it says that “the parting and return home in the morning is called “K�ch�� (後�), but in ordinary Japanese the parting of two lovers in the morning is idiomatically termed “Kinu-ginu no wakare.�

Hiru-jimai Yo-jimai no koto.
(The day and night engagements of courtesans.)

The “Yoshiwara Ōkagami� (�原大鑑) also says that there were formerly two kinds of shimai (仕舞 here the word means “engagement�) viz:—Hiru-jimai (day engagement) and Yo-jimai (night engagement.)[36]

Raku-seki no koto.
(The removal of names from the register of the Yoshiwara.)

The “Yoshiwara Ōkagami� (�原大鑑) says:—

There are three kinds of rakuseki. One is to leave the Yoshiwara at the expiry of the term of engagement (nenki aki); the second is to be redeemed by a guest before the term of service has expired (mi-uke); the third is to be redeemed by parents (also mi-uke). When a woman is discharged by her master, owing to the expiry of her term of engagement, she receives back from him her contract (sh�mon) of service and goes away after bidding farewell to her friends and acquaintances. At the same time a check or pass (tegata), couched in the following terms, is given to the woman to serve as a token of her right to pass out of the great gate:—

Courtesan ____(name)____ belonging to the house of ____(name)____.

Her term of engagement having expired, she is to be handed over to her relatives outside the quarter, therefore please allow her to pass through the great gate without fail. (Date)

(Signed) Headman,

To Shirobei, Esq.

Great gate.

But although a woman may be fortunate enough to escape the bitterness of this living death, and succeed in reaching the outside world again, yet she has violated the virtue of chastity, wasted the flower of her youth in vicious living, and as she is unaccustomed to attend to the proper duties of women her future prospects are anything but cheerful and reassuring.

Generally, the term of engagement is supposed to expire when a prostitute reaches the age of 25 years, but as a matter of fact the girls generally remain until they have reached the age of 27.

As for the mi-uke (redemption by a guest), it is a vastly different thing to the nenki-aki (expiry of term of engagement) as it not only relieves a woman from years of disgusting and painful servitude, but it may enable her to attain to a life of comparative ease and luxury. Under these circumstances, mi-uke is earnestly desired by many a prostitute, and although in vulgar novels certain girls are made to decline the offer of mi-uke by some rich guest, because they have lovers to whom they have pledged themselves to marry on the expiration of their term of engagement, such occurrences in real life are extremely rare. Far from dissuading a guest from purchasing her freedom, the average yūjo will positively importune him to take her out if he manifests his intention of doing so. When a guest wishes to redeem a woman for whom he has taken a fancy, and whose affection he desires to obtain, he mentions the matter to the brothel-keeper, who in turn communicates with the girl’s parents, and as, of course, the latter can raise no reasonable objection, the mi-uke is forthwith arranged. The redemption-money (mi-no-shiro-kin), and all the debts of the girl, are paid by the guest, and her contract of service (mi-uri sh�mon = “document-of-the-sale-of-the-body�) is returned. In the proceedings that follow, the brothel-keeper plays the part of a parent to the girl. To her friends sekihan (red rice: rice boiled with red beans) and other food is distributed, while presents of seki-han and katsubushi (smoked bonito) are made to the tea-houses of the Naka-no-ch� to celebrate the occasion. Farewell tips are also given to geisha (singing girls), h� an (jesters), and wakai-mono (men-servants), with whom the guest is acquainted, and a splendid banquet is held in the room where he has so often disported himself. On this occasion, the girl who has been redeemed, and her erstwhile fellow yūjo, assemble, and geisha and h�kan are invited to enliven the dinner. After the feast is over, the couple are escorted by a troop of men and women as far as the �-mon (great gateway), where palanquins (kago) are waiting for them, and amidst a chorus of good-wishes and “sayonara� (good-bye!) enter these conveyances and ride away.

Further, there are two kinds of yūjo, known as “zegen-tsuki� and “zegen-nashi,� or those who were sold by parents direct, and those who are sold through the medium of procurers (zegen). Those who are sold direct by parents (zegen-nashi) are easier and less expensive to redeem, whereas the zegen-tsuki (sold through procurers) are not so, as the zegen often purposely try to increase the debts of such women, or to secretly prolong their term of engagement, thus throwing obstacles in the way of their redemption by a guest.

Gwaishutsu oyobi t�b�.
(Exit and flight from the Yoshiwara.)

The Yoshiwara Ō-kagami (�原大鑑) says that the going abroad of prostitutes was prohibited at the founding of the Yoshiwara, and only tayū were occasionally allowed to attend the Hy�-j�-sho (Supreme Court) to wait on officials.

In the case of a “j�ro� being summoned before the “machibugy�� she was accompanied by two wakaimono, the master of the brothel, five wardsmen (“go-nin-gumi�) a representative of the “nanushi� and her “yarite.� The latter made a small present to the attendants of the “bugy�� that they might spread a mat for the “j�ro� to sit on, and the “j�ro� remained silent while the “yarite� answered the questions of the judge.

Once in every Spring, all the inmates of the brothels used to go out to either Ueno, Asukayama, or Muk�jima, to see the cherry-blossoms, and on these occasions they spent the day in drinking saké under the cherry-trees, and amusing themselves by dancing and other pastimes. The custom of the tayū appearing at the Hy�-j�-sho ceased about the era of Kwan-ei (1624–1643), and that of cherry-blossom viewing also dropped out of fashion after the Bunsei era (1818–1829). Even after this latter date, sick prostitutes requiring the treatment of a physician outside the Yoshiwara, or those who wished to go to their master’s villa (r�-shu no bess�) for the benefit of their health, were allowed to pass through the gate. If the parents of prostitutes who lived at Asakusa, and in its neighbourhood, were dangerously ill, they were allowed to visit them by the special permission of the r�-shu (brothel-keeper), but even in these cases the women were passed out under pretext of sickness, and a passport was given to them by the nanushi, as follows:—

Courtesan ____(name)____ employed by ____(name)____, who is under my management, being sick, is sent out of the great gateway (�-mon) to visit Doctor ____(name)____ accompanied by her master. She is to be allowed to pass the gate without fail.

(Signed)__________

(Nanushi)

To Shirobei Esq.,

Great Gateway.

A woman thus allowed out of the Yoshiwara would perhaps have looked out of her kago (palanquin) as she was borne along through the streets, and wondered at the novelty of her surroundings. Then she might have become impatient, owing to her anxiety after her parent’s health, and urged the kago-ya (bearers) to hurry forward. Arriving at her parents’ house she would perhaps have found her father, seriously ill, lying in squalid wretchedness, and have been met by her poor old mother who, taking her daughter’s hand in her own, might have been overcome with deep emotion and wept bitterly. Then came long consultations about the future, and the day of grace began to draw to a close, for it was a rule that courtesans out on leave had to return to the Yoshiwara before 5.30 p.m. By and by the sad and solemn tones of the temple bell at Asakusa would give her warning that her time had expired, and urged on by the yarite (an old brothel hag), whom she had perforce brought with her, she rose and bade farewell to her weeping parents, and re-entering her kago was carried back to her life of gilded misery well-nigh blinded by an agony of helpless tears.

Although the rules relating to the passage of the �-mon (great gateway) were as above, there were some prostitutes who attempted to run away from the Yoshiwara, owing to an irresistible desire to see their lovers, or being heavily in debt. When such an event happened, the brothel-keeper concerned sent out men on all sides to trace the absconding woman, or applied to the police office (mem-ban-sho) for her capture, and as detectives were immediately set to work to ascertain her whereabouts, nearly all runaway women were caught and ignominiously brought back to their masters. When an absconder was brought back, she was censured for her ill-considered step by the master, yarite, and bant�, and all the expenses incurred in connection with her detection and capture were added to her debt: this had the effect of prolonging the term of her servitude in the brothel. Sometimes private punishment was meted out to her by the master if he thought she deserved it. When an elopement was attempted twice or thrice in succession, the woman in question was generally re-sold to one of the prostitute quarters outside the Yoshiwara through the agency of a zegen (procurer): this practice was called “Kuragae� (change of saddles). It is said to have been the custom that when the keeper of a brothel outside the Yoshiwara was in treaty for the purchase of a “kuragae� prostitute, he sent his bant� to the house to which she belonged as an ordinary guest. The bant� spent the night with her, and the mi-no-shiro-kin (price-of-the-body) was settled according to his report.

Yūjo by�-shi oyobi j�-shi no koto.[37]
(Of the death and double-suicide of courtesans.)

The Yoshiwara Ō-kagami, (�原大鑑) says that as the life of a courtesan is generally spoken of as “the painful world� (Ku-gai 苦界) its really painful nature may be well imagined. Not only does a woman who has fallen into this unhappy position become a mere plaything to gratify the lusts of immoral men, but her freedom is so curtailed by circumstances that she cannot even sleep and eat independently, and therefore often has her constitution ruined owing to her irregular mode of eating and drinking. Others fall sick by reason of excessive anxiety over monetary affairs, and others fall a prey to loathsome and, perchance, virtually incurable diseases.

When a first-class prostitute (j�t� no yūjo) was sick, if the master of the brothel had been to much expense in procuring her, he would spare no pains to cure her illness, and if the matter was serious the woman would be removed to the master’s villa, (which was situated, perhaps, in the vicinity of Imado or Sanya), for treatment. Such an invalid would be closely attended by a kamuro (female page), and sometimes the master himself went to some temple to pray for her recovery. If, however, the yūjo happened to belong to a lower class, and was not particularly popular, the attitude of the brothel-keeper would be entirely different, and the treatment of the girl would be simply entrusted to some quack doctor, the poor creature being meanwhile thrust into an out-of-the-way gloomy room where she would pine away unseen by the other inmates of the house. When her condition was considered very precarious, the master, in order to avoid the trouble and expense involved at death, used to summon her parents and hand the sick woman over to them together with her sh�mon (document of engagement). When a yūjo died in a brothel the matter was reported by the monthly manager (tsuki-gy�ji) of the Yoshiwara to the nanushi, and the latter summoned her parents or surety to take delivery of her corpse. In the event of the home of her parents being far away, the remains of the yūjo were interred by the brothel-keeper in the D�tetsu (general burial place) on the bank in the presence of her surety. This place was also known as the “nage-komi� (the “throwing-in-place�). There is an old poem illustrating the sad future which is in store for some unfortunate sh�gi: it runs:—

“She is hurried to the grave in a pauper’s coffin, with but one solitary little maid to mourn her.�

Alas! this description was only too true in many cases.

Besides natural death, there were many yūjo who committed suicide, together with their sweethearts, owing to various reasons, among which the most powerful were either their inability to live together in conjugal felicity with each other, or their pecuniary embarrassments. Such double suicides had been known as shinjū (心中 “the inside of the heart or mind�), but about the era of Ky�h� (1716–1735) Judge Ōoka Echizen-no-Kami, (who is regarded as the Japanese Solomon), gave it out as his opinion that the word shinjū (心中) if read reversed would make chūshin (中心 = loyalty) and that it was absurd to call the double suicide of a man and woman, owing to love affairs, “loyalty�. He therefore ordained that this kind of suicide should be called “aitai-jini� (相�死 = “death by mutual consent�) and that word was accordingly adopted.

The late Mr. Koidzumi Yakumo (Lafcadio Hearn) in his “Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan� (Vol. 1.) gives an extremely interesting example of shinjū, as follows:—

“There lived in ancient times a hatamoto called Fuji-eda Geki, a vassal of the Sh�gun. He had an income of five thousand koku of rice,—a great income in those days. But he fell in love with an inmate of the Yoshiwara named Ayaginu, and wished to marry her. When his master bade the vassal choose between his fortune and his passion, the lovers fled secretly to a farmer’s house, and there committed suicide together.

“The sad occurrence was commemorated in a popular song which ran:—

Kimi to neyaru ka, go-sen-goku toru ka?
Nan no go-sen-goku kimi to neyo?
Once more to rest beside her, or keep live thousand koku?
What care I for koku? Let me be with her!�

According to the T�to Ko-fun-shi (�都�墳志 = Record of ancient tombs in the Eastern Capital), the J�kan-ji (浄閑寺) temple of Minowa, Shitaya district, was the burial ground of the yūjo of the Yoshiwara. When the secret prostitutes of the City of Yedo were transported into the Yoshiwara, they were called baijo (賣女 = “sold women�). Originally the bodies of these women, and other secret prostitutes, were interred in the burial ground of this temple only, but later on it became the custom to bury their remains elsewhere, as also those of regular yūjo. The book goes on to say:—

“In these burial places are to be found many graves of yūjo who committed suicide with their paramours. On the tombstones are to be found engraved the descriptions of the swords with which they killed themselves, as well as their names and ages. There is something so weird and uncanny about these horribly pitiless records on the grey lichen-covered monuments that the blood of a sightseer runs cold and he becomes so nervous that he leaves the gloomy spot with the intention of never visiting it again.�[38]

Shin-Yoshiwara no Bodaiji.
(The Cemetery of the Shin-Yoshiwara.)

The J�kan-ji temple at Minowa, and the D�tetsu on[39] the bank (the Nihon-dzutsumi), were formerly the fixed burial places of the Yoshiwara yūjo who died during their terms of service and who had no person to take charge of their remains. Since the Restoration, however, the regulations of the prostitute quarters having been altered, the burial of a yūjo in these cemeteries is a rare occurrence.

The grave of the famous Taka-o of the Mi-ura-ya, and that of Usugumo, are both in the D�tetsu cemetery. The grave of Usugumo is known as neko-dzuka (the-mound-of-the cat). October the 20th, 1893, having fallen on the 233rd anniversary of the death of Taka-o, a grand religious service was held in this temple and was attended by large crowds of people belonging to the Yoshiwara.

On the grave of Taka-o is written:—

Samu kaze ni
Moroko mo kutsuru
Momiji kana!		Alas! poor maple leaves
which are crushed and scattered
by the cold winds.

Karitaku no Koto.
(The temporary prostitute quarter.)

The kari-taku means the establishment of a temporary place for carrying on business when the Yoshiwara is completely destroyed by fire. When such a disaster occurs, the brothel-keepers apply to the authorities for a permit to establish a kari-taku, and their application is said to be granted forthwith, even in case of only partial destruction of the quarter by fire.

The Yoshiwara has been enjoying comparative immunity from fire for quite a long period, but as late as 1862 (May 29th) more than half of the brothels in the quarter were burnt to the ground, and a kari-taku was established in the neighbourhood of Fukagawa. During the time that the business is carried on in a temporary quarter, rules and usages are not adhered to very strictly by the brothels, and sometimes, under the pretext of aiming at simplicity, even tea-houses are allowed to carry on the profession of brothel-keeping. Under these circumstances, more money flows into the pockets of the brothel-keeper than in ordinary times, and the trade usually becomes brisker than previously, owing to a larger number of guests being attracted by the novelty of the altered conditions. When therefore the Yoshiwara is not prosperous, and trade is dull, the brothel-keepers not unnaturally wish for the establishment of a kari-taku. In the 2nd year of Kei-� (1866), while the kari-taku was established at Monzen-ch�, Fukagawa, an application was forwarded to the authorities by a certain brothel keeper, offering the payment of 10,000 ry� per annum if they would give permission to leave the “temporary quarter� there permanently: the application was rejected. The “kari-taku� practice originated in the third year of the Meireki era (1657) when the brothels of Fukiya-ch� were swept out of existence by the memorable conflagration of that year, and pending removal to the Yoshiwara, temporary brothels were established at Imado, Sanya, and Yama-no-shiku by means of renting ordinary houses.

After that time, whenever the Yoshiwara was destroyed by a fire, a temporary quarter was established for from two hundred to three hundred days, either at Ry�goku, Nakadzu, Takanawa, Fukagawa, Asakusa, Namiki, Hanakawado, etc. The temporary brothels established in the second year of K�kwa (1845) were scattered here and there in twenty different streets, viz:—Yamakawa-ch�, Ta-machi, it-ch�-me, Ta-machi, ni-ch�-me, Sanya-machi, Asakusa-machi, Shin Torikoye-machi, it-ch�me, Shin Torikoye-machi, ni-ch�-me, Shin Torikoye-machi, san-ch�-me, in front of the Hachiman On-yado: (in Honj� district); Rokushaku-yashiki, Kaneyashiki, Nagaoka-ch�, jit-ch�-me; Hachirobei-yashiki; Matsui-ch�, it-ch�-me, and Irie-ch�; (in Fukagawa district); Eitai-ji-Monzen-ch�, Naka-ch�, Higashi Naka-ch�, Yamamoto-ch�, Matsumura-ch�, Tsukuda-ch�, Tokiwa-ch�, ni-ch�-me. In Hanakawado-machi and Sh�den-ch� (Asakusa), Tamaya Sanzabur�, and twenty-one other well-known brothels, were carrying on their business under special charter (tokkyo) received from the authorities.

The official instructions issued at the time of the establishment of temporary brothels were not uniform by any means, as they were drawn up to suit special circumstances, but an idea of such notifications may be gained by perusing the following transcript of one issued in the 6th year of Kwansei (1794):—

Owing to the destruction by fire of the Yoshiwara, the carrying on of the profession in temporary houses is hereby allowed, provided that the Keepers strictly conform to the following conditions:—

(1).The clothes worn by the yūjo shall not be such as to be strikingly attractive.
(2).No yūjo or kamuro is to be allowed outside the houses, and this applies even to being outside the houses to which they may actually belong. Even inside the houses, they shall not be permitted to appear in the front second-storey or in the windows in such a manner as to attract passers-by.
(3).So long as the business is carried on outside of the regular quarter, everything shall be done in a quiet and unobtrusive manner, and no such displays as are allowed in the Yoshiwara shall be attempted nor permitted.

The following description of a Kari-taku is given in the “Yedo Honj�-ki� (江戸�昌記 Records of the prosperity of Yedo):—

“A temporary brothel has, as a rule, very limited accommodation, its capacity being only about one-tenth of that of the proper permanent building in the Yoshiwara, while the influx of guests is ten times larger than usual. Under such circumstances the beds of several guests are packed into one room, and simply divided off by means of screens: this kind of sleeping accommodation is called wari-doko (a divided bed). The beds are so arranged that sometimes one’s feet are in juxtaposition with another person’s head and vice versa. Inside the screens may be heard the voice of a yūjo chattering to her guest and flattering him with complimentary speeches such as:—‘Ever since our first meeting my love for you has become an ardent passion, and my whole soul yearns for your presence. There may be days when the raven will cease its cawing, but never a night when I fail to dream of you, my prince!’ * * *

“Within the fortification of screens to the left you can faintly hear a guest whispering to his yūjo that if she loves him he is willing to redeem her and take her away. * * * In front, the guest would appear to be a student, as he is reciting some Chinese poems from the T�shisen. By and by his yūjo begins to wonder what he is talking about, and asks him: ‘What magical words are you uttering, and what is that ch�men (account-book) you carry with you?’ ‘Alas! what an ignorant woman you are!’ the guest retorts, ‘these are famous Chinese poems which you would do well to remember.’ * * * At the back is a guest who has been deserted by his yūjo and who, finding it impossible to remain passive, is having frequent recourse to yawning and stretching. * * * Somewhere in the room is a gentleman who has been carousing too freely, and although he is so top-heavy that he cannot stand up, he objects to lying down and going to sleep. He is apparently so beautifully boosy that when he struggles hard to arise from his couch his legs give way under him and he sinks back huddled up in a heap. Disappointed, but not discouraged, at his inability to get up, the groggy veteran begins to express his maudlin sentiments in a loud grumbling voice, venting his indignation one moment and laughing at imaginary objects the next. Shortly afterwards he will endeavour to relieve the monotony of existence by starting to sing Kiyari (firemen’s songs) in a shrill falsetto tone with all the force his lungs are capable of, but every now and then breaking down and finishing off with an inarticulate mutter or drunken gurgle.

“All of a sudden the lovely noise ceases, as his companion yūjo, fearing that his continued bawling may disturb other guests, tries to gag the singing inebriate, persuades him to lie down quietly and go to sleep, covers him over with the bed clothes, and thus extinguishes him for the balance of the night. * * * Now, one guest, who has been sound asleep under the influence of liquor, suddenly wakes up and starts off to obey the calls of nature, but in the semi-darkness he comes into contact with the wall of screens surrounding him. Then he gropes around in order to find an outlet, but failing, owing to his muddled condition, to discover his geographical position, he commences to angrily demand the reason of his supposed imprisonment and to threaten that if he be not instantly released he will smash everything in the house. No reply being forthcoming, the pot-valiant young man kicks out savagely at the screens around him, knocking them down on the top of those sleeping beauties within and rudely dispersing their pleasant dreams; and then, giving way to a paroxysm of maniacal rage, he makes a furious attack on the remaining screens, throwing them round and down in every direction, thus disclosing some very interesting sights in various parts of the room. This proves too much for the nerves of the other guests, and a general stampede ensues, the whole position being accentuated by the hysterical cries of yūjo and shouts of ‘fire,’ etc.�

From this description it is evident that ordinary houses temporarily transformed into brothels must have been interesting places to visit, especially when crowded with guests, and that many comical and amusing scenes must have been enacted within their walls. It is just because the kari-taku presented so many novel and funny features that persons were tempted to go crowding into them.

D�chū no koto oyobi tsuki-dashi no koto.
(The procession of yūjo and the first appearance of “recruits� in the Yoshiwara.)

The procession, or promenade, of yūjo has been considered as, par excellence, the most splendid spectacle and important ceremony of the Yoshiwara. Once in the earlier years of Meiji, and once again in 1887, when the cherry-blossoms were in full bloom, this wonderful procession took place, but since then no attempt has been made to revive the time-honoured custom. Even on the two occasions referred to, the affair was not carried out in strict accordance with the ancient style, but in a far simpler fashion.

The best account of this procession of yūjo ever written is given in Mr. Henry Norman’s “The Real Japan,� and it is therefore quoted here.

“The most extraordinary spectacle of the Yoshiwara takes place for a few afternoons at five o’clock three times a year, when the flowers in the long street gardens are changed. First in spring comes the pink glory of the cherry-blossoms; then in summer the purple of the iris; then in autumn the hundred colours of the chrysanthemum, the national flower of Japan. When the new flowers are planted the yūjo pay them a state visit. From each of the principal houses half a dozen of the most beautiful are chosen and arrayed in gorgeous clothes, their hair dressed monumentally, combs three feet long stuck in from side to side, and then they are mounted upon black lacquered geta or pattens a foot high. When they are ready to start a score of servants accompany them; two or three precede them to put the crowd away; one holds the hand of each yūjo upon either side, and solemnly and very slowly, a step a minute, the wonderful procession moves round the garden. Other processions issue from the houses and meet and pass, and by and by the whole main street of the Yoshiwara is packed with an open-mouthed crowd, over whose heads the faces of the processionists can be seen here and there.

“The walking upon the tall heavy geta is itself an accomplishment and girls are specially trained to it. One foot is put out a little way and planted firmly, then the other geta is lifted by the toes tightly grasping the strap which passes between the first and second toes, and swung round in front of the other and across it. The first is then lifted and placed on the other side of the second—exactly in fact like a skater doing the outside edge. The Japanese call it hachimonji ni aruku—‘figure of eight walking.’ It is difficult to give in words an adequate notion of the extraordinary effect of this procession. The costly and gorgeous clothes of the yūjo, silks of marvellous richness, and brocades blazing with scarlet and gold; the exaggerated bow of her obi tied in front (the courtesan is compelled by law to distinguish herself in this way),[40] the pyramidal coiffure, the face as white as snow, the eyelashes black, the lips vermillion and even the toe-nails stained pink; the men-servants respectfully holding the tips of her fingers on each side and giving as much heed to every step as an acolyte might give to an aged Pope, her several women servants walking solemnly behind: a footman pushing back the crowd and another removing every twig or dead leaf from her path; her slow and painful hachimonji; her stony gaze straight before her, half contemptuous and half timid; the dense and silent crowd; the religious aspect of the vicious ceremony,—all these go to make a spectacle apart from anything one has ever seen—an event outside all one’s standard of comparison—a reminiscence of phallic ceremonial—a persistence of Priapus.�

In the “Yoshiwara Taizen� (�原大全 The Complete Book of the Yoshiwara) reference is made to the effect that

“The term d�chū (�中 a journey; travelling) meant the going out of a prostitute to an age-ya, or to promenade in the Naka-no-ch�. It was used in the sense of travelling to a distant part of the country because, for instance, when a yūjo of Yedo-ch� started out to go to Ky�-machi she was supposed to be going on a journey.

“It requires some considerable training to enable a yūjo to make a d�chū as it is a most difficult thing to lift the lower portion of her clothes in such a manner as to move with graceful dignity.

“Though there are no age-ya to be found at present, the custom is still preserved, and the appearance of yūjo in the Naka-no-ch� is called the d�chū.�

In the days when there were age-ya in the Yoshiwara it was the custom for a tayū to go out to the age-ya to which she was called to meet her guest, and on these occasions she was escorted by her shinz�, yarite, kamuro, and wakaimono. With reference to this subject, the D�b� Go-en (洞房語園) says that

“In the Moto Yoshiwara (prior to its removal to the present site), yūjo used to be carried to age-ya on the backs of servants when it rained. These men-servants (called roku-shaku), by placing their hands behind their backs made a seat, by means of their palms, on which the tayū sat—or rather knelt—carefully wrapping her underwear around her feet and leaving her outside dress hanging loosely down. The tayū’s hands were not employed in holding any part of her bearer’s body, but engaged in adjusting her garments, etc. From behind, a servant covered her with a long-handled oil-paper umbrella, and in this position the tayū is said to have looked very stylish.�

Since the removal of the old brothel quarter to the present Yoshiwara, it is said that tayū sometimes went out to age-ya riding in palanquins, as this was considered to be a convenient mode of transit.

In the “D�b� Go-en I-hon K�-i� (洞房語園異本考異) it is stated that

“Up to the era of Keich� the ladies of noble families were usually borne on the backs of men-servants in rainy weather, palanquins being but every seldom used. These ladies wore a kind of veil-like hood (katsugi) on their heads, and on the backs of the bearers were fastened wooden rests on which the women could sit. The custom of prostitutes being carried on the backs of men-servants appears to have arisen through a desire to ape the higher classes.�

Courtesans being carried to age-ya—vide pages [192–193].

“Since their removal to the Shin Yoshiwara, palanquins were often used, but later on were dispensed with, and yūjo preferred to walk to their destination even in rainy weather. * * * As stated above, better-class yūjo went out in palanquins when the weather was rainy, or the roads dirty, but shin-z� used to walk, wearing sandals called “tsume-kakushi� (nail hiders): these tsume-kakushi were more particularly in use in the Mi-ura-ya of Ky�-machi.�

The reason that the promenading of yūjo became one of the most splendid spectacles of the Yoshiwara in later days was because (though the women ceased to pass to and from the age-ya after the disappearance of the latter) they used to be in the habit of showing themselves gorgeously apparelled in the Naka-no-ch� and holding an exhibition of themselves in the tea-houses there. The custom of the d�chū is therefore a relic of a prevailing fashion of those times.

As already stated, a yūjo who went out walking in rainy weather was covered by a long-handled umbrella held over her head from behind. This umbrella was usually employed by persons of gentle birth, but its use by yūjo was permitted on the supposition that the latter were Court ladies.[41]

To see the procession of a yūjo at night passing through the brilliantly lighted streets surrounded by her shinz�, kamuro, yarite and wakaimono, proceeded by a great lantern emblazoned with her crest, and followed by a crowd of tea-house and funa-yad� people each carrying a lighted ch�chin, was a very imposing sight indeed, and one which probably was unique of its kind and without a parallel in any other country.

In ancient times all yūjo wore sandals, but later on a woman named Fuy� (in the employ of Hishiya Gonzaemon of Sumi-ch�), who was an open-handed extravagant person and fond of ostentatious display, began to wear koma-geta (a kind of matted clog) even on fine days. The charming manner in which this woman minced along on her koma-geta, artfully disclosing the scarlet lining of her clothes as she walked, and the general grace of her demeanour, evoked universal admiration. Imitation, it is said, is the sincerest form of flattery, and the people must have been very much fascinated with Fuy�’s koma-geta, for they all began to gradually imitate this style of foot-gear, until it became the popular fashion of the Yoshiwara. On New Year’s day, and on other holidays, no koma-geta were used by the women belonging to the house of Matsubaya Hanzaemon of Yedo-ch�, and it therefore seems that even at this period something of the simplicity of old-time customs was retained, and that the community had not as yet fallen into the luxurious habits of later days. The extravagance manifested in wearing apparel used in promenading appears to have reached its climax about the 11th year of Kwansei (1799), for it is mentioned in the “Kyaku Monogatari� (客物語 = written by Samba—a noted humourous writer), that the outer garment was of deep blue coloured satin, the skirt being embroidered with a pattern composed of lobsters: the underclothes were of green coloured m�ru (a kind of thick cloth woven with raised figure’s) secured by a shigoki (loose girdle) of grey-coloured satin lined with red crêpe. The hair was done in the Hy�yo-musubi style and was ornamented with two combs and eight hair-pins, this having been the regular custom of the time.

In the Bunkwa (1804–1817) and Bunsen (1818–1829) eras the shikake (loose robes) worn when promenading were either black or green in colour and were, as a rule, richly embroidered in gold and silver thread and silk thread of various hues. The patterns most in vogue were unriū (dragons and clouds), hiriū (flying dragons), gan-ka no botan (peony flowers below a rocky cliff), m�shi ky�-hon (raging lion), etc.; and the general effect of these gorgeous embroideries, glittering with gold and blazing with all the colours of the rainbow worked in harmonious blendings, was indeed striking and unique. Under the shikake were worn three white rinzu (figured satin) kosode (one over the other) each bearing five large crests dyed upon them.

Their manner of walking was known as uchi-hachi-mon-ji, because each step was taken with the toes pointed inwards (uchi) like the Chinese character (monji) eight (hachi 八). There are but very few persons who now understand this Style of walking. Later on, the custom of wearing geta (clogs) was introduced by the yūjo Fuy�, (already mentioned) who was vainly fond of finery, as she initiated the practice of wearing three-legged geta, with straw sandals attached to them. There were certain fixed ceremonial dresses which were worn according to the season, and special costumes for the New Year’s holidays and the 1st day of the 8th month. It is stated in the Kita-zato Bun-ken-roku (北里�見錄) that on the 3rd day of the 1st month of the 11th year of Bunkwa (February, 1814) among the yūjo who were out walking in their brand new geta and magnificent gala dresses, astonishing the spectators with the dazzling splendour of their gay apparel, was a woman named Ariwara (belonging to the house of Tsuru-ya Ichisabur� of Ky�-machi It-ch�me) who became the centre of attraction owing to the novelty of her costume. She wore robes made in imitation of those worn by certain military officers of the Imperial Court (Ō-uchi bu-kan). From the waist upwards the material was of a pale blue tint and on it were embroidered three corded lines in silver thread. On the left shoulder was embroidered a bundle of kiri-fu no ya (arrows winged with the spotted feathers of a falcon) worked in gold, silver, and coloured threads. This upper garment represented the naoshi (a kind of robe worn by nobles). The lower portion was dyed a deep purple and embroidered with yatsu-busa no fuji (eight-petalled wistaria flowers) in silver: this apparently was intended for sashi-nuki (a kind of silk trousers worn by warriors.)

Her obi (girdle) was of crimson worked with elaborate embroideries in gold, silver, and coloured threads. Her hair was done in the karawa (osa-fune) style. The whole “get up� was that of a Court warrior, and it is said that the idea of dressing herself in this manner occurred to Ariwara owing to her family name being similar to that of the noted warrior and poet of ancient day—Ariwara Narihira Ason. This instance of the extravagant nature of a yūjo’s dress in those days is merely given to illustrate the quaint costumes adopted, and the lavish manner in which the women spent their money in their endeavours to show themselves off in novel and costly habiliments. It is curious that notwithstanding the magnificence of their costume the yūjo ceased to wear tabi (socks) in the Kwansei (1789–1800) and Bunkwa (1804–1817) eras, although they had worn them prior to the Tenna era (1681–1683). In ancient times the tabi were of leather, stained purple.

When an ane-j�ro (elder-sister-harlot) initiated her im�to-j�ro (younger-sister-harlot), and allowed her to appear in the misé for the first time, the act of thus furthering the interests of the younger woman was called tsuki-dashi (to push out and forward). It was the bounden duty of an ane-j�ro to arrange everything connected with this tsuki-kashi ceremony at the request of the brothel-keeper, and this act of duty was known as “o yaku.�

The tsuki-dashi proper lasted for a week, and during that time the debutante, accompanied by her ane-j�ro, used to promenade the streets of the Yoshiwara by way of introduction, in the same manner as if she were performing a regular d�chū. Every day, both the debutante and the ane-j�ro appeared in different costumes. The hair of the ane-j�ro was done either in the Hy�go, osa-fune, sage-gami, or shimada styles, but the coiffure of the debutante was invariably made in the shimada style. [Since the advent of the Meiji era this custom has disappeared, but according to the narrative of a person who once saw such a ceremony, the debutante wore yellow clothes, and the clothes of her retinue of yarite, kamuro, and wakaimono, were all of a similar hue].

During the week of introduction, the new-comer was engaged by her fellow yūjo in turn, and to the latter presents were made by way of reciprocity.

The expenditure involved in connection with the appearance of a new yūjo was roughly estimated at from 300 to 500 ry�. Then there were expenses connected with the tsumi-yagu (bedding), usually ordered from “Dai-maru� and “Echigo-ya.� Of course in all these matters there were wheels “within wheels,� and, although the tsuki-dashi expenses were nominally defrayed by the ane-j�ro, as a matter of fact the latter tapped the pockets of her guests to meet the bill. Generally an ane-j�ro would have a number of admirers who could well afford to be generous, such as officials of the Government treasure godowns, wealthy saké merchants of Shinkawa, etc., and on these occasions the astute lady would not fail to wheedle out of them all the cash she wanted. The classes of yūjo who anciently participated in promenading were the Chūsan and Yobi-dashi, and though the system of going to age-ya when called by guests no longer existed, the women continued to walk in the Naka-no-ch� after dusk for the purpose of showing themselves to the spectators and as a means of attracting guests. The procession was proceeded by a couple of firemen (tobi-no-mono) carrying a kanab� (an iron staff fitted with rings), which they struck on the ground as they walked, producing a sharp metallic jingle and thus warning the crowds of the approach of the oiran.

With them walked a wakaimono (man-servant), lighting the way with a big lantern (dai-hari) on which was emblazoned the crest of the yūjo. The yūjo herself walked slowly along escorted by two furi-shin (furi-sode shinz�), two kamuro, one ban-shin (ban-t�-shinz�) and six wakaimono. They never returned the same way they went out: it was a rule that when a procession walked on the right side of the street on its way out, it should return on the left side. While the procession moved, the proprietors of tea-houses came out to the front of their establishments, saluted the passing beauty, and urged her to sit down and rest there; but she would merely smile graciously and walk on, placidly smoking her handsome pipe the while. Yūjo were formerly well-trained in their special manner of walking in procession, and though they wore very high clogs, accidents but rarely happened. To stumble was considered a sad disgrace, and if a yūjo accidentally tripped up in front of a tea-house custom demanded that she should enter the establishment and entertain all the inmates at her expense. The sight of a lovely and bewitching yūjo clad in rich silk brocades glittering with gold and polychromatic tints; of her wonderful pyramidal coiffure ornamented with numerous tortoise-shell and coral hair-pins so closely thrust together as to suggest a halo of light encircling her head; and her stately graceful movements as she swept slowly and majestically through the Naka-no-ch�, must indeed have appeared magnificent and awe-inspiring to the uninitiated. Indeed we are told by ancient writers that the spectacle fairly entranced the country-folk and “robbed them of their very souls�, and from such remarks we may gather that these processions of yūjo were by no means conducive to the elevation of the moral tone of the crowds of persons who flocked to see the Yoshiwara with gaping mouths and upturned eyes.

Yo-misé “Suga-gaki� no koto.
(The night exhibition and the suga-gaki.)

In view of the approaching “mixed residence� of foreigners in the interior, it is said that the authorities are contemplating the advisability of interdicting the present custom of exposing yūjo in “cages� to public view; and that Susaki will be the first prostitute quarter to discontinue this somewhat scandalous practice. Even as it is, the exhibition of yūjo in cages is not openly recognized except in the Yoshiwara and a few other yūkwaku, so the probability is that is will be discontinued ere long, even without the interference of the local governments. While many have no sympathy with the “hai-sh�-ron�[42] movement which found a good many supporters in Japan a few years ago, it is their profound conviction that the prostitute quarters should not be made a show-place, that display for the purpose of the attracting attention should be discouraged, and that reverence for humanity and common chivalry should forbid even the semblance of anything approaching the public exhibition of unfortunate women, however low they may have fallen. At the present time, the majority of the Japanese public do not seem to see anything shocking or strange in the sight of hundreds of gaudily attired courtesans sitting in rows exposed to public view as living “samples,� and this tends to bridge over the sharp line of demarcation which should exist between the demi-monde and honest women. This again leads to a good deal of freedom and license of speech, and permits the doings of yūjo, and the libertines who support them, to be unblushingly chronicled in newspapers and indelicately alluded to in novels. Then again, at the time of the festival of the “Tori-no machi� the various yūkwaku are crowded by a vast multitude of sight-seers including thousands of young persons of both sexes: this means that very young and perfectly innocent boys and girls are so accustomed to the strange scene, that they see no indelicacy in it, and so they grow up knowing far more about these matters than is good for them. To Europeans and Americans it is a strange sight to see family parties, including modest young girls, wending their way through the crowded streets on the night of the Tori-no-machi, buying various knick-knacks and gazing at the painted beauties in their gorgeous dresses of glossy brocade and glittering gold. It is certainly opposed to foreign ideas to take one’s young daughter sight-seeing in a prostitute quarter!

Modern Courtesans exposed “on view� in their cages.

The chief objection to the public exhibition of handsomely dressed women is that it tempts youths who might otherwise remain chaste, and attracts them to the brothel-quarters. It is true that it is a boy’s nature to wish to see all unusual spectacles and pageants, and so long as they exist he will certainly make it a point of going and feasting his eyes upon them. If the authorities decide to prohibit the present system of “showmanism� it will mean that men will be obliged to enter the houses in cold blood for a definite purpose, and not be exposed to the temptation of being drawn in by the sight of a pretty face exposed as “on sale.� The authorities would also be well advised to absolutely forbid any kind of public fête or festival from being held within the precincts of yūkwaku, to have the gates strictly guarded as of yore, and to refuse admittance to either women or boys unconnected with the brothels. This would be a blow to the “business� for a time, but it would result in a healthier moral tone among the rising generation, and do good in the direction of diminishing, if not preventing, the serious and far-reaching troubles and entanglements which occasionally involve young men in great distress and lead them on to commit actual crimes to gratify either their own salacious desires or the whims of the “scarlet women� with whom they are infatuated.

While the quarter was still situated at the Moto Yoshiwara the “profession� was carried on in the day-time exclusively, but when, on the 9th day of the 10th month of the 2nd year of Meireki (24th November, 1656), Ishitani Sh�gen (the Machi-Bugy�) gave permission for the removal of the brothels to the present sites, the carrying on of business at night was also sanctioned.

This proving far more convenient for visitors who were not willing to be seen by others entering the quarter, the number of day-guests gradually dropped off, and at length nearly everybody came to visit the Yoshiwara after dark exclusively. In this manner, the brothels obtained the privilege of carrying on their “trade� both in the day and at night, and the fees of courtesans (age-dai) were divided into “night� and “day� fees. Each one of these fees was known as a kata-shimai (half engagement). When the “day� hours were over, a large lantern (and�) was hung out in front of every brothel, and thus a distinction was made between “day and night�. The D�b� G�-en I-hon-k�i (洞房語園異本考異) says that:—

The reason why the profession of brothels was prohibited at night during the era of Tenna (1681–1683) was because that period was immediately subsequent to great internecine strife. Later on, in the case of the Yoshiwara only, this restriction was removed, and since that period the occupation has everywhere been carried on at night. In the Yoshiwara for instance (as in other quarters), “day work� became merely nominal owing to the simple reason that there were but very few guests in the broad daylight.

The “Yoshiwara Taizen� (�原大全) remarks:—

The “day� was from noon until 3 P.M. and the “night� from 5 to 10 to o’clock P.M. Apparently finding that 10 o’clock P.M. was too early to close up the “shops�, some genius hit on the pleasant fiction of causing the watchmen to strike their hy�shigi (wooden clappers) announcing the hour as 10 when in reality the temple bell was striking midnight. This originated the terms “real 10 o’clock� and “nominal 10 o’clock�.

At night-fall (about twilight) a small bell (suzu) was rung before the shrine (kami-dana) at the entrance of the house, and at the same time the yūjo appeared in the mise (cages) and the “shinz�� of the house struck up an air called “sugagaki� on the samisen. This performance seems to have been a relic of the times when harlots were skilled in singing and dancing.

It is stated in the Yoshiwara Taizen (�原大全) that while the Moto-Yoshiwara was in existence some short songs were sung to the accompaniment of the playing of the sugagaki. The following are examples:—

“Willow tree—forked willow tree—on the road-side!

Prithee tell me whither thou wilt incline thy drooping branches when swayed by the breeze?

I trow ’twill be towards the gentleman you love!�

“Who is he that breaketh off a branch of yon willow tree on a calm Spring day?

He is a gallant who rideth on a white horse.�

The singing of these songs was continued even after the removal of the Yoshiwara, but was dropped after the era of Kwansei (1789–1800). It also appears that the songs varied according to the house, but that gradually matters became simplified until the songs ceased and the samisen was merely tinkled by the private geisha of each brothel, as a pure formality. Even the playing of samisen ceased prior to the advent of the Meiji era (1869–).

In the “Nishiki-no-Ura� (錦��) written by Ky�den, published in 1791, a “Furishin� is made to say:—

“Who was in charge of the samisen last night? The koshimoto (a little maid) is complaining that she can’t find the bachi (plectrum).�

This was because it was the duty of the shinz� to play the sugagaki every evening, and each one of them took charge of the samisen alternately. Up to the An-ei period (1772–1780) shinz� sung some naga-uta or Bungo-bushi and played the koto or samisen, and, when the shinz� happened to be a favorite, people came out in front of the neighbouring houses to hear her sing. This custom was of a comparatively later origin and was observed by some houses.

Now-a-days, just prior to the appearance of yūjo in their “cages�, the gyū strike a bundle of wooden clog-checks (gesoku-fuda) against the floor, and, while slapping the pillar of the entrance door with the palm of their open hand, imitate the squeaking of a rat. The hour this charm is performed corresponds to that at which sugagaki was played in former days. Sugagaki seems to have been evolved and developed from the tunes of koto music, because one authority states that “sugagaki� means the playing of certain koto airs without any accompanying song. In ancient times a blind musician made a departure in the direction of playing koto music on the samisen, and this was handed down in the Yoshiwara as “sugagaki�.

During the Genroku era (1688–1703) “Ni-agari suyagaki� “Yedo sugagaki� and “Sanya-sugagaki� came into vogue owing to their suiting the tastes of fashionable persons.

There is a kiyomoto song entitled “Hokushū� in which reference is made to the sugagaki, and the prosperity of the Yoshiwara at that time vividly described.

Daijin-mai no koto.
(Dancing of millionaires.)

This style of dancing was most popular in the Yoshiwara during the Sh�toku era (1711–1715). The songs which were sung as a kind of accompaniment to this dancing are said to have been composed by a comic actor named Nakamura Kichibei (commonly known as Nishiban). Kichibei, being an expert singer of ko-uta (light songs), was present at many saké parties given by rich people, and entertained the guests so well with his singing and dancing that he became very popular. According to a certain book of songs, however, it is claimed that the songs were composed by a man named Seisai, but as the same book states the songs were composed during Gembun era (1736–1739) the identity of the composer is extremely doubtful. If these ballads were really written during the Genroku (1688–1703) and Sh�toku (1711–1715) eras, it is inconsistent that the names of Kibun (紀文) and Naramo (奈良茂)[43] should appear in the verses!

A Street Scene in the Yoshiwara a hundred years ago.
Copied from a drawing by Kitagawa Utamaro.

Some people allege that the ballads were the result of literary efforts on the part of Kibun himself, but this seems rather apocryphal inasmuch that the name of Kibun is mentioned in them, and he would hardly compose songs about himself!

However, we may be well content to leave various antiquarians to quarrel over musty documents and ancient books, and content ourselves with knowing that the ballads did eventuate in some way or other, and that somebody did compose them. The following extracts are made from the “Dai-jin-mai K�-sh�� (大盡舞考證) and will give an idea of the songs, but it must be borne in mind that the translation is very free owing to the crudeness and vague character of the original text and the virtual impossibility of reducing the words into intelligible English.

The treasures of the Shin-Yoshiwara are hidden by the back of a palanquin. Passing through Shim-machi, Ageya-ch�, Uki-hashi, Komura, and Yatsuhashi, one comes out into the Shitaya streets, sees the small cherry temple of T�yeizan (Uyeno park) and the Toraren temple of Kinryū-zan (Asakusa temple). The thing which is praised and admired here is the long flowing haori of K�hei-b�. Then you know Confucius said, ha! ha! whosoever worships us, ha! ha! will certainly be dragged to the wicked place, ho! ho! (Chorus:—“Ho-ho-hon, ho-ho-hon-non, ho-hon-yo ho-hon-yo no notamawaku wa, soto senya soto senya ariya chin na.)

Ha ha! ho ho! It is a felicitous omen of this tranquil reign that the waves of the four seas are undisturbed ha! ha! ho! ho! Look at the Daijin-mai (dance).

(Next “Daijin�): The origin of the kuruwa (prostitute quarters) is that Yuge no D�ky�, by Imperial command, founded a kuruwa. On account of guests flocking in (kuru 來) and their hearts being softened (wa 和) it has been named “kuruwa.� Ha-a! ho-ho! Look at the Daijin-mai (dance).

(Next “Daijin�): The five streets of the Yoshiwara have been named because Yedo-ch� has “en� (affinity) with Yedo city: Fushimi-ch� has affinity with fushin (fushin suru = to build); all difficulties having been overcome Sumi-ch� was built, Shimmachi opened, and the bustling Ky�-machi established.

(Next Daijin): The title of tayū originated when the first Emperor of Shin was out a hunting and encountered a heavy rainstorm. His Majesty then sought shelter under a small pine-tree, when the branches of that tree miraculously extended and the leaves spread out and locked together so closely that the Emperor was completely protected from the elements. For such virtues the pine and the bamboo are felicitous. Ha-a! ho-ho! Look at the Daijin-mia (dance).

(Next Daijin): As to the beginning of guests, though the people may know nothing about Corea or China, everywhere in Japan they know the name of Kinokuni-ya Bunzaemon (Kinokuni Bunza). The Donsu Daijin (“Damask� millionaire) rivals him and redeems Kich� of Miuraya. Five rolls of red damask together with the cost of cotton-wool lining he sends to Ogiya Hanshi. He also presents a dagger valued at 25 ry which is still preserved as a treasure by Hanshi. Ha-a! ho-ho! Look at the Daijin-mai (dance).

(Next Daijin): As the next daijin we must mention Master Naramo. He redeemed Ura-zato who was well-known at Shimmachi as the leading belle of the Kagaya. He placed her in a mansion specially built for her reception at Kuroe-ch�, Fukagawa, and the name of the mansion was “Mokusan Goten�. The h�kan (jesters) in attendance on her were Itch�, Mimbu, and Kakuch�, while her female servants were O Man, O Kin, and O Y�. Koshir�, Zenroku, Kichibei, and Seigor� attend her in various capacities. But oh! what a change of taste, however, that this daijin should again redeem Arashi Kiyoji! Ha-a! ho-ho! Look at the Daijin-mai (dance).

(Next Daijin): The day-break on a Spring morning as sung by Seish�nagon (noted poetress) is interesting. Being attracted by the tinkling notes of sugagaki, crowds flock into the Yoshiwara dressed in their holiday clothes, to visit the girls for the first time in the New Year: so the kuruwa becomes lively, and men walk about stretching their necks like herons.

The tayū and k�shi prosper and the sancha and baicha also become popular, their voices echoing like the twittering of singing birds. The great houses of Yamaguchi and Miura are famed for their wealth and prosperity, and indeed they are the famous things of Sumich�. Ha-a! ho-ho! Look at the Daijin-mai (dance.)

(Next Daijin): Yamamoto no H�jun is a well-known resident of Shimmachi, Kago-guke (the feat of passing though a hollow cylinder of basket-work) of Tsunokuni is the famous thing of Sumi-ch�, the Tosa smoked bonito sold by Temmaya is that of Ni-ch�-me, and Hishidaya Matayemon is said to be a descendant of Sh�ji Jimbei. Look at the Daijin-mai (dance.)

(Next Daijin): The beginning of Sin-goza must be attributed to Iseya Jūbei. He redeemed a well-known yūjo—Katsuyama—belonging to Ōmatsu-ya of Ni-ch�me. Yukata-mono (people belonging to respectable samurai families) is the commencement of Shin-goza. Ha-a! ho-ho! Look at the Daijin-mai (dance.)

(Next Daijin): As to the beginning of yubi-kiri (finger-cutting) it first took place between the leading yūjo of Tsuta-ya, named Fujishiro, and Totsuno Yohei, and then the practice gradually spread until it took place between Hana-Murasaki of Ōbishiya and Takayasu Hikotar�. Ha-a! ho-ho! Look at the Daijin-mai (dance).

(Next Daijin). [Here the text is so obscure that nothing can be made of it.]

As to the tunes played when the Dai-jin-mai was danced, these have been explained by Mr. Ōtsuki J�den and by the widow of the late noted painter Naga-aki Anshun. (This lady was formerly a geisha in the Yoshiwara called O-Hata, and is well versed in music as well as the ancient customs of the Yoshiwara: she lives at 42 Sh�den-ch�, Yokoch�, Asakusa, T�ky�). These songs are said to have usually been sung and danced by the h�kan before guests during the New Year holidays.

Daikoku-mai no koto.
(Daikoku-mai dancing.)

The custom of performing this Daikoku-mai dance has now completely disappeared in the Yoshiwara.

According to the reply given by Shichizaemon, manager of the dancing, and also a subordinate chief of beggars (hi-nin kogashira) to an enquiry made of him by the nanushi of the Yoshiwara in the 12th month of the 13th year of Temp� (January 1843,) there was, during the Genroku era (1688–1704), a subordinate chief of beggars, named Manjir�, living at the creek-side of Nihon-bashi, and this Manjir� was very proficient in the art of singing popular songs. One day he picked up a mask (representing the god Daikoku) floating in the creek, wore it, and danced comic dances in the Yoshiwara to the strains of the samisen played by his friend Shichiz�. This was the origin of the Daikoku-mai. Shichiz� (or Shichizaemon), who furnished this information, was a lineal descendant of the samisen-player Shichiz�. The “D�b�-Goen� says that in the first month of each year Daikoku-mai dancers came into the Yoshiwara, performed various antics, and entertained people with their buffoonery and comic imitations of things and persons.

They used to frequent the Yoshiwara from the 2nd day of the first month of the year until the first “horse day� (hatsu-uma) in the second month. After that the “Daikoku-kagura� players frequented the Yoshiwara. The Daikoku-mai dancers, however, visited the Yoshiwara on all principal holidays, especially on the bean-throwing day (mame-maki no hi) in the twelfth month and the last day (�-misoka) of the year. These players were great favourites with many of the yūjo, and considerable money was given to them by the latter. It is said that a good many secret love passages took place between the yūjo and these dancers. In the whole of the Yoshiwara only Kado Tsutaya at Yedo-ch�, Ni-ch�-me, made it a rule of the house not to grant admission to the Daikoku-mai dancers. Prior to this, puppet dancers (ningy�-tsukai) also frequented the Yoshiwara, but since the appearance of the Daikoku-mai dancers their visits ceased.