History of the Yoshiwara YÅ«kwaku.[1]
It was not until after the City of Yedo had become the seat of the Tokugawa government that regular houses of ill-fame were established, and up to the period of Keich� (1596–1614) there were no fixed places set apart for brothels and assignation houses. Under these circumstances, the brothels of Yedo were to be found scattered all over the city in groups of twos or threes, but among the many localities in which such stews were situated were three spots where the houses were to be found in larger numbers plying their shameful trade side by side.
- (1.)—In K�jimachi, hat-ch�-me, there were fourteen or fifteen houses: these had been removed from Roku-j� in Ky�to.
- (2.)—In Kamakura-gashi (Kanda district) the numbers of houses was the same as in K�jimachi: these had been removed from Miroku-machi of Fuchū (now Shidzuoka?) in Suruga province.
- (3.)—In Uchi-Yanagi-machi, near Ōhashi (Ōhashi is now the Tokiwa-bashi gate, and Yanagi-machi is now D�sangashi-d�ri) there were twenty houses. This group was inhabited by Yedo women exclusively. It is stated by some writers that the name of this street “Yanagi-machi� (Willow Street) was derived from the fact that at the entrance of the street stood two gigantic weeping-willows. Prior to this date, in the period of Tensh� (1573–1591), a person named Hara Sabur�zaemon had established a brothel quarter at Made-no-Koji, Yanagi-no-baba, in Ky�to, but although it is true that the name of Yanagi-machi was given to this place, the Yanagi-machi of Yedo did not derive its title from the one in the Western city.
In the 10th year of Keich� (1605) Yanagi-machi was selected by the Government in connection with the construction of the castle of Yedo, and consequently all the brothels were removed to a place in front of the Moto-Seigwanji (temple).
As Yedo prospered and her population increased, various enterprising individuals gradually arrived from Shumoku-machi in Fushimi, Kitsuji-machi in Nara, and other places near Ky�to, and established themselves in the brothel-keeping business.
But as Yedo still grew more and more prosperous and thriving, and her marts busier, various municipal improvements were projected, numerous new roads were opened, and bridges constructed, and, as gradually the work of organizing the urban districts progressed, many houses had to be pulled down; consequently large numbers of persons were forced to remove their residences. Under these circumstances, the brothel-keepers considered the moment to be an opportune one for the presentation to the powers that were of a petition requesting the Government to allow of the collection, into one special locality, of the Yedo demi-monde. They therefore petitioned the authorities to establish a regular Keisei-machi,[2] but their petition was unsuccessful and matters remained in statu quo.
In the 17th year of Keich� (1612) a certain Sh�ji Jinyemon (a native of Odawara in Sagami province) conceived the idea of collecting all the brothels and assignation houses of Yedo into one special quarter of the city, and after many consultations with his confrères (for this gentle “reformer� was in the “profession� himself) he made a representation to the Government to the effect that:—
“In Ky�to and in Suruga, and also in all other thickly populated and busy places (to the number of more than twenty) there have been established, in accordance with ancient custom and precedent, regular licensed Keisei-machi, whereas in Yedo, which is growing busier and more populous day by day, there is no fixed Yūjo-machi.[3] In consequence of this state of affairs houses of ill-fame abound in every part of the city, being scattered hither and thither in all directions. This, for numerous reasons, is detrimental to public morality and welfare, etc., etc.�
The petitioner further enumerated the advantages which would be gained by the system he advocated, and he submitted a memorandum of reasons and arguments divided into three headings, the substance of the same being:—