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Comfort Women Discussion 16) History of the Licensed Prostitution System and Yukaku Culture

2025年5月18日 19:03

Title image: Berabou: Tsutaju Eiga no Yume-banashi from

History of the Licensed Prostitution System

The licensed prostitution system in Japan existed before the modern era, but it was specifically clarified as a system during the Edo period.

Edo Period (Yukaku):

Yoshiwara in Edo, Shimabara in Kyoto, and Shinmachi in Osaka are famous. Yukaku (pleasure quarters) were established in specific locations by the shogunate and domains, and their operations were officially recognized and managed. This included urban policy, crime prevention, and financial objectives. Yujo (prostitutes) were often sent into indentured service due to debt, and there was a strong aspect of human trafficking. On the other hand, there was also the aspect of Yukaku culture, with its own unique hierarchy and customs.

Meiji Period and Beyond:

The new Meiji government initially continued and modernized the licensed prostitution system, strengthening police management. This was because aspects such as measures against venereal diseases around foreign settlements and contributions to national finance (taxes) were prioritized. However, there was also humanitarian criticism from the West (as a slave-like practice), and it became subject to international pressure. Abolitionist movements (movements calling for the abolition of the licensed prostitution system) also arose.

After World War II:

The Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (GHQ) ordered the abolition of Japan's licensed prostitution system, calling it an inhumane and feudal system (1946). With this, the official managed prostitution system was formally abolished. However, this did not mean that prostitution ceased to exist in reality.

Yukaku Culture

The Yukaku of the Edo period, especially the Yoshiwara in Edo, were not merely places for prostitution, but unique social spaces with their own culture, rules, and hierarchy, and they became perfect subject matter for the popular culture of the time, such as Rakugo and Kabuki.

1) Yukaku Culture of the Edo Period (Especially Yoshiwara)

The Yukaku officially recognized and managed by the Edo Shogunate, such as Yoshiwara in Edo (relocated from Moto-Yoshiwara to Shin-Yoshiwara after the Great Fire of Meireki), Shimabara in Kyoto, and Shinmachi in Osaka are famous, but among them, Yoshiwara had the most influence in terms of scale, status, and culture.

Hierarchy System: There was a strict hierarchy in the Yukaku. At the top were Tayu: the highest-ranking geisha, and Oiran: the highest-ranking prostitutes. They were required to have not only beauty but also education (calligraphy, waka poetry, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, shamisen, dance, etc.), and were allowed to interact with top-tier intellectuals and stylish people.

High-ranking prostitutes who acquired education

Below them were those who took customers from behind lattice doors, those within the lattice, and further lower-ranking individuals.

Katsushika Hokusai's third daughter, Katsushika Oi's original painting 'Yoshiwara Koshi-saki no Zu'

"Ageya" (high-class brothel) and "Hikite-chaya" (teahouse broker): To meet the highest-ranking courtesans, one first had to arrange a banquet at a prestigious restaurant called an "Ageya", where the courtesan would be summoned through a complex and expensive process. The Ageya was a place for socializing and banquets, where the courtesan would meet the customer for the first time (shokai). Once they became regulars, they would have a second meeting (nikai) and a third meeting (sankai), and only then could they finally invite her to the brothel. Customers did not go directly to the brothel; instead, a "Hikite-chaya" acted as the intermediary.

Age-dai (banquet fee)... Oiran cost 1.6 million yen per night
So-jimai (total buyout)... Renting out the entire pleasure quarter costs 240 million yen
Miuke (redemption)... 400 to 500 million yen

Converted to current prices

Unique customs and "Kuruwa-kotoba" (pleasure quarter dialect): The pleasure quarters had many unique rules and traditions, as well as a special way of speaking used by the courtesans called "Kuruwa-kotoba" (e.g., "~arinsu", "~zansu", etc.). This was a kind of secret language that served to differentiate them from the outside world, foster a unique atmosphere, and also hide the courtesans' regional accents.
A center of culture: The pleasure quarters were also centers for the latest fashion, hairstyles, makeup, music, and dance of the time. The luxurious costumes and flashy attire of high-ranking courtesans became objects of admiration for the common people and were even subjects for "Ukiyo-e" prints.

An artificial world: Yoshiwara was an extraordinary space called a "Omon" (great gate) that was surrounded by a moat and had strictly restricted entry and exit, known as a "Yūkaku" (pleasure quarter). It was an artificial world where time and logic flowed differently from real society, and it was also a place where customers could enjoy escapism.

2) Rakugo's Kuruwa-mono (pleasure quarter stories)

There are many Rakugo stories set in pleasure quarters, especially Yoshiwara, forming a genre known as "Kuruwa-mono".

Reasons for popularity:

For the common people of Edo, who were the main audience for Rakugo, Yoshiwara was an object of longing and curiosity, yet not a place everyone could easily visit. Rakugo's Kuruwa-mono gained popularity as entertainment that offered a glimpse inside that unique world. Furthermore, its peculiar rules and language became a source of laughter.

Main themes and humor:

Comedy surrounding rules and language: Misunderstandings and commotions caused by country bumpkins or unrefined customers who do not know the complex systems of Yoshiwara or the Kuruwa-kotoba dialect.
Vanity and failure: Scenes where customers who try to act sophisticated or pretend to be rich in Yoshiwara end up failing.
Human drama between courtesans and customers: Various human dramas that arise between courtesans and customers, or among customers themselves and employees of the pleasure quarters, such as public facades and private feelings, and calculations versus genuine emotion. These are not always cheerful stories; some are tinged with sadness and melancholy.
Depiction of a unique atmosphere: By vividly capturing the bustle of the quarters, the colorful scenes, and the lives of the people who lived there, the audience is drawn into the world of Yoshiwara.

Representative stories of the pleasure quarters:

“Ake-garasu” (The Morning Crow): A story about a sheltered son who knows nothing of the pleasure quarters being taught how to play in style. It is a classic considered an introductory piece for pleasure quarter stories.
“Gonin-mawashi” (Five-Man Rotation): A story that humorously depicts the busyness of Yoshiwara, where a single jester is called upon one after another by multiple customers.
“Omitate” (The Selection): A story depicting a man who has come from the countryside choosing a courtesan in Yoshiwara.
In addition, various other pleasure quarter stories were performed, such as “Haori no Asobi” (Playing with the Haori), “Tsukiuma” (The Follow-up Horse), and “Shinagawa Shinju” (Shinagawa Double Suicide) (though Shinagawa was a post-town with serving maids, it is sometimes associated with pleasure quarter stories due to the theme of double suicide).

3) Pleasure Quarters as a Stage for Kabuki

For Kabuki as well, the pleasure quarters were an attractive stage and served as the subject matter for numerous works.

A treasure trove of drama:

The pleasure quarters were filled with the dramatic elements of Kabuki: beauty, transience, economic hardship, the love and hate of human relationships, duty and humanity, betrayal, tragic love, and double suicide.

Visual appeal:

There were many visually striking scenes, such as the gorgeous processions of top-tier courtesans known as Oiran Dochu and the glamorous banquets held at the Agiya, which captivated the audience. The costumes of the courtesans and customers, as well as the stage sets, were also created with great luxury.

Main themes and characters:

Tragic love and double suicide: Stories where a courtesan and a customer cannot be together due to differences in social status or economic reasons, leading to a tragic end (double suicide), were a staple.
Chivalrous men and courtesans: Stories where Edo chivalrous men (otokodate) cause a stir in the pleasure quarters or form a bond with a high-ranking courtesan.
Revenge and loyalty: The pleasure quarters were sometimes used as the setting for a story or as a place for characters to hide.
Characters: Characters unique to the pleasure quarters appeared and played their respective roles, such as high-ranking courtesans (Tayu, Oiran) who were glamorous yet filled with deep sorrow, customers who fell in love with courtesans and were ruined, strict landladies, and jesters (taikomochi).

Representative Kabuki plays and scenes:

“Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura” (Sukeroku: Flower of Edo): One of the Kabuki Juhachiban (Eighteen Great Plays). It is a story where Sukeroku, the greatest chivalrous man in Edo, goes on a rampage in Yoshiwara. The top-tier Oiran, Agemaki, appears, and her beauty and spirit are depicted. It is a representative pleasure quarter play packed with the glamour of Yoshiwara, the style of Edo, and the spirit of the chivalrous man.
"Kagotsurube Sato no Eizame" (The Haunted Yotsuya Kaidan): A story about a man who falls in love with a beautiful courtesan named Yatsuhashi, only to trigger a tragedy after being rejected. It depicts how events in the pleasure quarters lead to a catastrophe.
In addition, many sewamono (contemporary life plays) — performances depicting the lives of commoners at the time — incorporated scenes set in the pleasure quarters.

Note) Yoshiwara Obscene Songs

Summary

The pleasure quarters of the Edo period were a social system with strict management and unique rules, while simultaneously serving as a distinct space where the culture and economy of the time intersected. In rakugo, this unique world and its human drama were conveyed to the common people with humor and pathos, while in kabuki, dramatic love and hatred, duty and humanity, and visual splendor were emphasized in performances. Through these cultural mediums, the pleasure quarters remained a familiar yet extraordinary and deeply memorable presence for the people of Edo.

However, it is necessary to keep in mind that the image of the pleasure quarters depicted in these cultural works does not necessarily fully convey the harsh realities and human rights issues faced by the many women who worked there.