The history of Yoshiwara (よしわら)

Shortly after the establishment of the Edo shogunate in 1617, brothels were allowed to be set up in Nihombashi Tayacho (now Nihonbashi Ningyocho), and the Yoshiwara brothel recognized by the shogunate was born. The origin of "Yoshihara" is said to be Yoshiharajuku, one of Tokaido's campsites, the hometown of Shinai Shoji, the founder of "Yoshihara". Yoshihara was also built in a low-lying land with lush reeds near the sea. The pronunciation of "reed" in Japanese (yoshi) is the same as "yoshi". Same statement. Sunpu Castle, where Tokugawa Ieyasu lived in seclusion, originally had a 7-cho (residential area surrounded by roads) sized public prostitution area, 5 of which were moved to Edo.

After the Meiretsu Fire in 1657, Nihonbashi Yoshihara was burned down. Compared with the early days of the shogunate, the surrounding area had gradually become urbanized, so the shogunate ordered Yoshiwara to move to the vicinity of Asakusa, which was still farmland at the time. The former Nihonbashi Yoshihara was called Moto Yoshihara, and the Yoshihara in Asakusa was called Shin Yoshiwara. Now the Yoshiwara generally refers to the latter. Because Yoshihara is located north of Edo Castle, it is also known as "North Country". There are two trenches (3.6 meters) wide around Yoshiwara, and there is only one exit along the direction of Valley Hori Nihondike. Prostitutes can be classified as oiran (おいらん), newly-made, bald, etc. The layout of the building is generally teahouses in front, big shops on both sides of the avenue, and small shops in the alleys. The big shop also played a social role, and famous people and intellectuals often socialized here. First-class prostitutes must first be taught singing, dancing and tea ceremony. They will not stay overnight with the guests they meet for the first time. They can only stay overnight after they meet the guests for the second time and become familiar with them for the third time. There was no distinction between samurai and civilians among prostitutes. Some samurai were teased for sleeping on the street, and some samurai covered their faces with bamboo hats in fear of being recognized by acquaintances. Arikawa Yanagi's sentence "人はSamurai なぜ情城(けいせい)に肖がられ"" (Why is he hated by prostitutes even if he is a samurai)? As times changed, the samurai class gradually became economically disadvantaged, and the civilian class became the main force among prostitutes. The lumber merchant Kinokuniya Bunzaemon and the loan sharks became the representatives who often spend a lot of money here. Yoshiwara is also one of the birthplaces of Edo period culture and fashion.

In 1765, the Iimori women in the shrine towns of Shinagawa, Itabashi, and Senju were banned, the shrines tended to decline, and Yoshiwara was allowed to increase the number of prostitutes. Prostitution was banned outside Yoshihara in 1842. Prostitutes of Yoshiwara (Meiji Era) After the Meiji era, the emancipation order for geishas was issued, and in 1875 the geisha house was renamed "Yaiza Shiki". The prostitutes still could not escape the fate of "caged birds" and could not go out freely. This situation was related to the business of the Edo period. There is no difference in population. The status of the customs industry in Yoshihara during the Meiji era can be glimpsed through works such as "ヰタ?セクスアリス" (Ogai Mori) and "たけくらべ" (Higuchi Kazuyo). In particular, Higuchi Kazuyo lived in Ryūquan near Yoshiwara for a while in order to write a book. Prostitutes sit in a room with a wooden lattice facing the street and wait for clients to name them for the night. This method is called Zhang Jian (はりみせ) in Japanese, and such a brothel is called Zhang Dian (はりみせ). In 1903, prostitutes were named through photos. "Photography" appeared, and in 1916, the Zhangdian method was banned.

There were many fires in the Edo period, 1768, 1787, 1816, 1835, 1845, 1862, 1864, and 1866. In modern times, April 1911 (Meiji 44) The famous "Yoshiwara Fire" occurred on the 9th. It was completely burned down in the Great Kanto Earthquake and the Great Tokyo Air Raid, and many people died, but it quickly recovered every time.

After World War II, GHQ abolished the prostitution system, democratized business, and turned into a special restaurant street, also known as Red Line. The Red Line was finally eliminated in 1958. Although there is no statistical data, judging from the sales volume, there were about 250 "Soap Lands" at its peak, but now it has dropped to 150. Accounting for about 10% of the 1,400 nationwide. There is still a certain gap between Gifu Kinjinen (less than 70 stores) and Kawasaki Horinouchi (less than 50 stores).

Enforcement of Customs Applicable Laws The "Customs Business Suppression Act" that was implemented in 1948 was significantly revised in the amendment bill promulgated in 1984, and became the "Law for the Regulation and Standardization of Customs Businesses, etc. (1985) Effective February 13), the scope of activities of sexual customs businesses has been greatly restricted. In particular, it is no longer possible to conduct large-scale gatherings in areas such as bathrooms with stalls, massage parlors, Turkish baths, soap parks, etc. Based on this law, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government promulgated the "Enforcement of the Law Concerning Regulation of Custom Businesses, etc. and Business Adaptation, etc." Ordinance", based on the current situation of Yoshiwara, it is classified as a "special area" and will be retained on the principle of not expanding the existing site.

Part of "Kabukicho" and "Ikebukuro" also apply to this "special area". The scope of the revised regulations is now limited to 16th to 32nd and 41st to 48th, Sensu 4-chome, Taito Ward. (Reference to Article 10 of the Regulations on the Regulation of Customs Businesses, etc. and the Adaptation of Business Standardization, etc.) The law was revised to ban soliciting on the streets.