A notorious photographer

These Japanese prostitutes were enslaved to pay their family debts and kept in cages for decades. Unless the rich take it away and marry it as a concubine, they will stay there all the time. According to the Daily Mail on September 8, once in Japan, seven-year-old girls were forced to engage in sex work to pay off their family debts, and there was little hope for them to escape. In the notorious red light district of Jiyuan, many women were displayed in wooden cages to attract men.

These unforgettable photos show women in colorful kimonos staring out of the cage. Through this, we know the life of Japanese brothel women, who are facing decades of slavery. This notorious red light district was founded in 16 17, with the aim of limiting prostitution activities to a specific area in Edo, that is, Tokyo today, and there are more than 100 brothels within its walls. These rare photos were taken by an unknown photographer in 1890 and 1900, showing the elegant senior brothel woman posing in the brothel.

These girls are often sold to brothels by their parents from the age of seven. Some lucky girls will become waiters for high-class or elite prostitutes. However, this is not a universal phenomenon. The only way to escape from Yoshihara is to hope that a rich man will buy her from a brothel and marry her as a wife or concubine. Another way is that if she is successful enough in a brothel, she can buy her own freedom.

The brothel area in this fence covers an area of 12 1 mu and is surrounded by a moat. It is the only brothel district in Beijing approved by * * *. Three prostitutes posed for photos at nectarine No.9, a brothel in Jiyuan. If these girls show some talents, they will receive corresponding etiquette training and serve the elite. But usually, these girls end up working in lower brothels or locked in cage exhibition halls.

A senior brothel woman and her two assistants took photos together. These women are displayed as commodities to attract male customers to buy. Usually, although these girls' contracts with brothels can only last for five to 10 years, the huge family debts make them live in brothels all their lives. These photos are often used as postcards to attract foreigners to try Yoshihara's happiness. They also allow customers to choose the girls they want before entering the area.

A rare photo shows that a man is entering a brothel nectarine 9, and the balcony is full of prostitutes. These customers come from all social classes, from aristocrats to tourists. They are welcomed here and given equal opportunities. But the samurai must unload their weapons before entering.

The face of Nobel Prize winner Hideki Noguchi can be seen on the Japanese paper money of 1 0,000 yen. He is the lover of a brothel woman in Yoshihara. It is said that he once spent 500 yen (equivalent to 500 thousand yen now, 30 thousand RMB) to enjoy a night. Due to the great pressure from the international community, in 19 16, prostitutes were forbidden to be exhibited as commodities. Yoshihara remained open until 1958, when prostitution was banned in Japan.

The picture shows the street view of Yoshihara in about 1930: this area has developed rapidly since the establishment of17th century, from the initial 550 prostitutes to more than 9,000 prostitutes in 1893.

Many contemporary scholars emphasize that the work of women sold into brothels is essentially oppression and exploitation.

The picture shows a brothel woman in a cage.