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

by J. E. De Becker

Street Scene in the “Naka-no-ch�,� Yoshiwara.

The following are the names of the 126 existing brothels of the Yoshiwara (1899).

Ō-mise (First-class houses.)
Kado-ebi-r�	in	Ky�-machi	It-ch�-me
Inamoto-r�	“	Sumi-ch�.
Daimonji-r�	“	Yedo-ch�	It-cho-me.
Shinagawa-r�	“	Ageya-machi.
Nomura-r�	“	Ky�-machi	Nich�-me.
Naka-mise (Second-class houses.)
Man-kwa-r�	in	Yedo-ch�	Nich�-me.
H�rai-r�	“	Ageya-machi.
Ai-idzumi-r�	“	Sumi-ch�.
Naka-gome-r�	“	Ky�-machi	Ni-ch�-me.
Ko-mise (Third-class houses.)
Shin Hanai-r�	in	Yedo-ch�	It-ch�-me.
Sh�-yei-r�	“	“	“
Shin Ichino-r�	“	“	“
Nari-hisa-r�	“	“	“
Sugimoto-r�	“	“	“
Kikuya-r�	“	“	“
Ichino-r�	“	“	“
Shin Kinkwa-r�	“	“	“
Kajita-r�	“	“	“
Nishihashi-r�	“	“	“
Yoshi-Inaben-r�	“	“	“
Fuku-Suzuki-r�	“	“	“
Fukurai-r�	“	“	“
Katsu Nakagome-r�	“	“	“
Sh�-yū-r�	“	“	“
Izutsu-r�	“	“	“
Seikwa-r�	“	“	“
Hanaoka-r�	“	“	“
Moto Fujiyoshi-r�	“	“	“
Fukuyosu-r�	“	“	“
Kawa-tachibana-r�	“	“	“
Ky�chū-r�	“	“	“
Ky�-shin-r�	“	“	“
Kiku-matsu-kane-r�	“	“	“
Matsu-mi-r�	in	Yedo-ch�	Ni-ch�-me.
Katsu-moto-r�	“	“	“
Tama Mikawa-r�	“	“	“
Tama Hanai-r�	“	“	“
Tsune-Matsu-kane-r�	“	“	“
Hikota-r�	“	“	“
Ōsaka-r�	“	“	“
Kiyo Fujimoto-r�	in	Yedo-ch�	It-ch�-me.
Oto Hanai-r�	“	“	“
Musashi-r�	“	“	Ni-ch�-me.
Hisa Hanai-r�	“	“	“
Yawata-r�	“	“	“
Ryūgasaki-r�	“	“	“
Toku Hanai-r�	“	“	“
Kikk�-r�	“	“	“
Matsu Yebi-r�	“	“	“
Sugito-r�	“	“	“
Sumi-Yawata-r�	“	“	“
Suke-Komatsu-r�	“	“	“
Iwa Hanai-r�	“	“	“
Moto Komatsu-r�	“	“	“
Hanai-r�	“	“	“
Asahi-r�	“	“	“
Matsu-Nakagome-r�	“	“	“
Tsuru-yoshi-r�	“	“	“
Chisei-r�	“	“	“
Fuji-yoshi-r�	“	“	“
Naka-Hanai-r�	“	“	“
Nakamura-r�	“	“	“
Yū-sen-r�	“	“	“
Kane Koshikawa-r�	“	“	“
Manji-r�	“	“	“
Kinkwa-r�	“	“	“
Hira Hanai-r�	“	“	“
Moto Kawachi-r�	“	“	“
Shin Yoshiwara-r�	in	Yedo-ch�	Ni-cho-me.
Yasu Nakagome-r�	“	“	“
Masui-r�	“	“	“
Shin Ryū-ga-saki-r�	“	“	“
Ky�sei-r�	in	Ageya-machi.
Ogawa-r�	“	“
Nishi-naka-r�	“	“
Sei-kwa-r�	“	“
Takahashi-r�	“	“
Naka Inaben-r�	“	“
Kikumoto-r�	“	“
Shin-Fujimoto-r�	“	“
Hei-Daikoku-r�	“	“
Seih�-r�	“	“
Nari-Yamata-r�	“	“
Masu-Kawachi-r�	“	“
Nishioka-r�	“	“
H�rai-r�	“	“
Kin-Nakagome-r�	“	“
Ise-r�	“	“
Sawa-Inaben-r�	“	“
Owari-r�	“	“
Tama H�rai-r�	“	“
Kiku Inaben-r�	“	“
Yamada-r�	“	“
Sawa Nakagome-r�	“	“
Sada Kawachi-r�	“	“
Shin-Matsu-Daikoku-r�	“	“
Ume-man-r�	“	“
Shimotake-r�	“	“
Tanaka-r�	“	“
Takeman-r�	“	“
Tama-Kawachi-r�	“	“
Aichū-r�	“	“
Tatsu-Inaben-r�	“	“
Shin-Inaben-r�	“	“
Shin-Matsu-kin-ro	“	“
Kame-Inaben-r�	“	“
Toku-Inaben-r�	“	“
Ni-masu-r�	“	“
Sh�-Nakagome-r�	“	“
Tsuta-Inaben-r�	“	“
Fuku-Yamato-r�	“	“
Hiroshima-r�	“	“
Niikawa-r�	“	“
Naga-Idzumi-r�	“	“
Takara-r�	“	“
Matsuoka-r�	“	“
Koshikawa-r�	“	“
Daikoku-r�	“	“
Tama-Kawachi-r�	“	“
Shin-Ai-idzumi-r�	“	“
Inaben-r�	in	Ky�-machi	It-ch�-me.
Shin-man-r�	“	“	“
Ai-man-r�	“	“	“
Shin-Fukuoka-r�	“	“	“
Is-shin-r�	“	“	“
Hy�-Daikoku-r�	“	“	“
Toyo-Matsu-Kin-r�	“	“	“
Matsumoto-r�	“	“	“
Shin-H�rai-r�	“	“	“
Inage-r�	“	“	“
Fujimoto-r�	“	“	“
Man-nen-r�	“	“	“
Yedo-r�	“	“	“
Shin-Okamoto-r�	“	“	“
Hoku-yetsu-r�	“	“	“
Mikawa-r�	“	“	“
Matsu-Owari-r�	“	“	“
Sen-Inaben-r�	“	“	“
Kimman-r�	“	“	Ni-ch�-me.
Matsuyama-r�	“	“	“
Matsu-Kin-r�	“	“	“
Sen-Nakagome-r�	“	“	“
Matsu-Daikoku-r�	“	“	“
Yoshida-r�	“	“	“
Kawachi-r�	“	“	“
Moto-Higashi-r�	“	“	“
Koiman-r�	“	“	“
Bitchū-r�	“	“	“
Kane-Nakagome-r�	“	“	“
Shin-Nakagome-r�	“	“	“
Gyokusai-r�	“	“	“
Waka-take-r�	“	“	“
Kin-H�rai-r�	“	“	“
Shin-Adzuma-r�	“	“	“
Tatsu-Komatsu-r�	“	“	“
Kado-Owari-r�	“	“	“

Hikite-jaya.[17]
(“Introducing Tea-houses.�)

The business of hikite-jaya is to act as a guide to the various brothels, and to negotiate introductions between guests and courtesans. There are seven of these introducing houses within the enclosure (kuruwa) fifty in Naka-naga-ya, Suid�-jiri, and outside of the Ō-mon (great gate).

1. Entertainment given by a YÅ«jo who has been Redeemed from a Brothel.
2. Guests in a Tea-house Diverting themselves with Dancing Girls.
3. A Guest being conducted to a Brothel by the Servants of a Hikite-jaya.

Besides these there are many houses in Yedo-ch�, Sumi-ch�, Ky�-machi (It-ch�-me and Ni-ch�-me) Ageya-machi, etc. The first-mentioned seven houses are first-class, those in Naka-naga-ya second-class, while those at Suid�-jiri and G�-jik-ken are very inferior indeed. The reception of guests, and arranging affairs for them, is attended to by servant maids, three or four of whom are generally employed in each hikite-jaya. As, of course, the reputation of the house depends on these servant maids, their employers generally treat them very considerately, well knowing that if the girls attend to their duties satisfactorily the number of guests will continue to increase.

When a visitor arrives before the entrance of a hikite-jaya, the mistress of the house and her maid-servants run to welcome him with cries of “irrasshai� (you are very welcome!), and on entering the room to which he is conducted (in case of his being a stranger) the attendant will ask him the name of the brothel to which he desires to go, as well as that of the particular lady he wishes to meet. If he has no “friend� with whom he is acquainted, photographs are produced for inspection and the guest chooses his oiran from them. Then the attendant will guide him to the brothel selected, act as a go-between in negotiating for the courtesan’s favours, and after all preliminaries have been settled will wait assiduously upon the guest throughout the banquet which inevitably follows, taking care to keep the saké bottles moving and the cups replenished. By and by, when the time comes for retiring, the attendant conducts the guest to his sleeping apartment, waits until the arrival of the “lady friend� and then discreetly slips away and leaves the brothel. When one of these servant maids takes charge of a visitor she becomes, for the time being, the actual personal servant of such guest and attends to everything he requires. To perform the services rendered by her is professionally spoken of as “mawasu� (廻 to turn round, to move round) because she goes bustling round in order to arrange a hundred and one matters for the guest upon whom she is in attendance. If the guest calls geisha (dancing and singing girls) the maid carries (supposing it to be night-time) the geisha’s samisen (guitar) and the guest’s night-dress in the left hand, and a “Kamban ch�chin�[18] and a white porcelain saké bottle (haku-ch�)[19] in the right—a performance which requires considerable experience to achieve successfully.