On the 2nd day of the 1st month the bath-house keepers again made the same announcement as they had the previous day. With the first cawing of the crow (ake-garasu no koe to tomo ni) the dealers of shell-fish thronged the quarter and cried their wares for sale in loud voices. Everyone who bought the hamaguri (clams) purchased them only from the men who were entering the quarter, and not from those who were going out and back, as it was not considered lucky to buy from departing vendors. The fishmongers, however, were smart enough to head off their patrons, and entering the gate they walked up the street shouting away until they arrived at the end of the thoroughfare. Then they quietly sneaked back to the gate and started afresh. This practice was repeated several times until the artful fellows had contrived to secure all the business in sight, and the simple buyers were happy in the belief that they had bought hamaguri from fishermen who had only just arrived in the Yoshiwara.
After this day guests began to arrive in increasing numbers, and, according to the charming little custom in vogue, yūjo used to entertain their visitors with toso (spiced saké) and make them presents of fans, towels, hanshi (paper) and other trifling articles.
The wife of a brothel-keeper always made a point of coming out, dressed in ceremonial clothes, to congratulate every guest on the New Year, and at this season the food served to patrons was better and more varied than usual. On this day, wives of the tea-house-keepers returned the congratulatory visits of the yūjo, going from room to room for that purpose.
From the 2nd day, until the end of the 1st month, as well as on the first horse-day (hatsu-uma) of February, and on the 8th day of the same month, the Daikoku-mai dancers came to every brothel and the yūjo vied with each other in giving them tips.
Only Tsuta-ya of Yedo-ch� formed an exception to this rule, as it was the habit of that house not to grant admittance to the dancers.
On the 7th day the nanakusa-no-iwai (ceremony when a soup compounded of seven kinds of greens is eaten on the 7th day of the first month) was performed, and on the 11th day came the ceremony of opening store-houses for the first time in the year (kurabiraki). On the 14th followed the toshikoshi,[44] while on the 15th, 18th, and 20th there were some further ceremonies observed. The date of celebrating the Ebisuk�[45] was not uniform, and each brothel had its own methods. In ancient times it was a universal custom to observe this ceremony twice a year, viz—in January and October. In the era of Bunsei (1818–1829) the ceremony in the 1st month became greatly curtailed, and finally the Ebisuk� was only observed in the 10th month.
The yūjo did not all appear in the cages until the 20th of the 1st month, so the night aspect of the Yoshiwara did not resume its normal appearance until this date. The saruhiki and dai-kagura[46] began to pour into the Yoshiwara from the 1st day of the 2nd month: on the night of the first “horse day� the front of every brothel in the first and seconds wards of Yedo-ch� and of Ky�-machi was illuminated by a large lantern on which was written the names of the yūjo in the house. Votive offerings of red rice, fried bean-curd, and fruit were made to the family shrines of the god Inari.
Many of the yūjo, accompanied by their guests, visited the four temples in or near the quarter dedicated to Inari Sama,[47] viz.—Kurosuké Inari, Akashi Inari, Kai-un Inari and Enomoto Inari. Kagura dances[48] were performed in the Jishimban (guard or watchman’s office) at Yedo-ch� Ni-ch�-me, and all was bustle and confusion in the Yoshiwara. The following day the brothel-keepers contributed to the shrine of Inari the large lanterns which had been hung before their establishments the previous evening. On and after the 3rd day of the 3rd month cherry-planting (hana-ue) commenced.[49] Cherry-trees were planted on both sides of the streets of the Naka-no-ch�, and these drew a multitude of sight-seers who gazed with delight on the delicate pink and white blossoms which smothered the branches in a rolling mist of fairy-like florescence. The origin of this custom is mentioned elsewhere.
In April the cherry-blossoms had already fallen, green leaves had appeared on the trees, and everything foretold the rapid approach of Summer. Towards the end of this month fire-fly dealers (hotaru-uri) began to perambulate the Naka-no-ch�, exhibiting their luminous wares as if in mockery of those who scorched their bodies in the fire of lust and dissipation!