The nightless city; or, The "history of the Yoshiwara Yūkwaku"

by J. E. De Becker

“Shum-mu masa ni komayaka nari, mangai no �-un. Shū-shin saki ni tsūzu ry�k� no t�-yei,� or freely translated into English:—

“A dream of Spring-tide when the streets are full of the cherry blossoms. Tidings of the autumn when the streets are lined on either side with lighted lanterns.�

This poem is a eulogy composed of four sentences each containing four Chinese characters, the style being an imitation of that of the blank verses which were in vogue in the Tsin dynasty. The depth of meaning conveyed by these sixteen ideographs is almost incredible to the uninitiated, and to explain the full sense of the composition in English is well-nigh impossible. The words which are rendered “A dream of Springtide when the streets are full of the cherry blossoms� refer to the custom of planting cherry-trees right down the centre of the Naka-no-ch� from the main gateway (Ō-mon) to Suid�-jiri. The cherry trees are in full bloom about the first week in the third month (according to the old calendar—now April) and when one then glances down the avenue at night, after the place is lighted up with thousands of brilliantly coloured lanterns and flashing electric lamps, the whole quarter appears as if smothered in flowers. The commingling blossoms, seemingly transmuted into dense masses of soft and fleecy cloud, braid the trees in a wealth of vernal beauty, and the gay dresses both of the unfortunate women, and those of the passers-by, ever kaleidoscopic in effect and vividly oriental in colour, all go to make up a scene at once strange, fascinating, and well-nigh dream-like in character. The women in the Yoshiwara are likened in a certain poem to “cherries of the night which blossom luxuriantly,� and their power of fascination is expressed by another poem which says “Cherry blossoms of the night at length become those of the morning and again those of the night�: and yet another poem runs—“Naka-no-ch�, where the night-cherries (courtesans) blossom luxuriantly.� There is a double entendre in the sentence, for the words not only refer to the intermingling cherry blossoms in the Naka-no-ch� but imply that joy and pleasure is to be found in “A dream of spring, in a town inhabited by beautiful and voluptuous women to whom their lovers cleave as the commingling blossoms of the cherries blend together.� The poem also implies an indirect allusion to an episode in the life of one of the Chinese Emperors, who was distinguished for his Solomon-like proclivities in his admiration for the fair sex, and the harem of ravishingly beautiful damsels he kept at Fuzan.[16] The words “Tidings of the autumn when the streets are lined on either side with lighted lanterns� refer to the custom of hanging out t�r� (lanterns) in front of every tea-house in the Naka-no-ch� during one month from the 1st day to the last day of the 7th month (old calendar.) These t�r� were first hung out as an offering to the soul of one Tamagiku, a popular courtesan in olden days. When one enters the great gate at the time of this festival it is a very pretty sight to see the rows of lanterns after they are lighted up. Some of these lanterns bear pictures by celebrated painters and are therefore quite works of art, and the effect of the display is heightened at times by artificial flowers being placed between them. It is said that the approach of Autumn is heralded by the cry of the wild geese, but that it is also foretold by the display of lanterns in the Naka-no-ch� during the festival of the dead. The sight of these lanterns moreover remind the sightseers of the words of an old poem which runs—“Alas! it is the night when the dead Tamagiku comes to visit the t�r�.�

Of the Reason Why Going to the Yoshiwara was Called “Ch� ye yuku.�

In the “Yoshiwara Ō-kagami,� (�原大鑑 “Great Mirror of the Yoshiwara�) it is mentioned that the origin of the common expression in former days of “Ch� ye yuku� (going to Ch�)—meaning “going to the Yoshiwara�—was as follows: Formerly the streets of the Yoshiwara were laid out in the shape of a cross, but afterwards one of the entrances was closed, changing the cross into a shape like that of the Chinese character “Ch�� (�), hence the saying. In later times this expression was changed, and nowadays people speak of going to the Yoshiwara as “naka ye yuku� (to go inside).

Classes of Brothels.

In ancient times the houses were classified according to the position and standing of their inmates. As we mention elsewhere, the courtesans were formerly classed as Tayū, K�shi-joro, Tsubone, Sancha-joro, Umecha-joro (also read “Baicha-joro�) and Kirimise-joro, and in a similar manner brothels were also divided as Tayū-mise, K�shi-mise, Tsubone-mise, Sancha-mise, Umecha-mise (or “Baicha-mise�) Kiri-mise, etc. Afterwards, the name of the Tayū-mise and K�shi-mise was changed to “Yobidashi,� and the “Umecha-mise� having disappeared the so-called “Zashiki-mochi� and “Heya-mochi� came into existence. After the era of Kwansei (1789–1800) the following classes of brothels sprang into existence:—1st class:—Ōmagaki; 2nd class:—Ham-magaki; 3rd class:—Dai-ch� ko-mise; 4th class:—Kog�shi; 5th class:—Kirimise, etc. Courtesans classed as Yobidashi, Hirusan, and Tsuke-mawashi belonged to the Ōmagaki, while the Zashiki-mochi and Heya-mochi were attached to the Dai-ch� ko-mise.

The style of architecture employed in the erection of the “Tsubone-mise� is elaborately described in the “D�b� Goyen,� (洞房語園) and the fact that the general features of the “Sancha-mise� were similar to those of the Furo-ya in the city is also mentioned in the same book. After the era of Kwansei (1789–1800) the classes of brothels, it appears, were determined according to the height of the bars of the cages. The highest magaki (籬) are said to have reached to the ceiling while the lowest were about 2 feet high. The wood used in the lattice window of an Ō-magaki (a first-class house with bars running up to the ceiling) was about 8 inches in width and was painted red. The houses themselves were generally as large as 13 ken by 22 ken (78 x 132 ft). The lattice bars of the lower class houses, on the contrary, were 3 inches in width and therefore these houses were called Ko-g�shi (small lattices). The lowest class houses had bars which ran horizontally instead of vertically. These distinctions were maintained up to the time of the general liberation of prostitutes in the 5th year of Meiji (1872) but since that time the brothels have been classified as either Ō-mise, Chū-mise, or Ko-mise (Large, medium, and small “shops.�)

At present there is no uniform style of architecture, but as the better class of houses are naturally visited by a superior class of guests, the leading establishments are fine buildings, and are noted as much for the luxurious character of their furniture and appointments as for the beauty of the women who inhabit them. The best houses do not exhibit the women in cages.