[Biographies of Famous Women of Past and Present] Yugiri of Shinmachi
Yugiri of Shinmachi was a courtesan at the Ogiya in Shinmachi, Naniwa. She was gentle in spirit and skilled in calligraphy. Alas, she died young.
Even now, her grave exists at Jokokuji Temple in Teramachi. It is inscribed with the Buddhist name Kagaku Hoshun Shinnyo. The uchikake (outer robe) that this courtesan wore still exists today. Letters written by Yugiri are at the Yoshidaya in Kugen. They have also been published as prints for the enjoyment of connoisseurs.
At the grave of that Yugiri, Onitsura of Itami wrote:
This grave is poignant, even without a willow tree.
* "Ogiya in Shinmachi, Naniwa" refers to Ogiya Shirobei of Shinmachi, Osaka.
* "Teramachi" refers to Shimodera-machi.
* "Kugen" refers to Kugen-machi, Kugen-cho, or Kugenbo.
* "Yoshidaya" refers to Yoshidaya Kizaemon, an ageya (courtesan house).
* "Onitsura" was a haiku poet of the early Edo period. He was from Itami, Settsu Province.
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Yugiri was a tayu (high-ranking courtesan) of Shinmachi, Osaka, who lived in the early Edo period.
Unknown - January 6, Enpo 6 (1678)
She was under the patronage of Ogiya Shirobei and was originally from the Shimabara pleasure district in Kyoto. When the Ogiya moved from Kyoto to Shinmachi, Osaka, in Kanbun 12 (1672), Yugiri also moved to Shinmachi.
Her reputation from Kyoto Shimabara had reached Osaka, and it is said that people gathered along the Yodogawa River to catch a glimpse of her, wondering if she would arrive today or tomorrow.
Her beauty went without saying, and because she was well-mannered, loved literature, and was skilled at haikai, Yugiri became extremely popular in Osaka. She would sometimes be called to multiple ageya at once, and she would bring along a kakoi-joro (attendant courtesan) to host the guests.
Let us quote the situation at that time from the Meiji-era courtesan biography "Hachisu-bana" (Lotus Flower).
Since Yugiri came to Osaka, her popularity grew day by day. Because there were so many guests who wanted to meet her, and she could not make the rounds to all the ageya, she began to bring along a kakoi-joro. When she had guests at multiple places at once, she would first send the attendant to host the seat, and then she would go to serve the guests herself when the timing was right.
Before this, apart from the two kamuro (child attendants) that Osaka courtesans usually had, there were no courtesans who brought along a hikifune-joro (attendant courtesan). It is said that Yugiri was the first to do so because she was so popular that she could not manage her duties otherwise.
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Yugiri's rank was that of a tayu, the highest rank for a courtesan. When she was called to an ageya, she would travel from the okiya (courtesan house) to the ageya accompanied by her kamuro and a large nagamochi (storage chest).
Let us look at the Shinmachi that Yugiri walked through, from "Mio-tsukushi," published in Horeki 7 (1757).
The "Yoshidaya," an ageya where Yugiri's letters remain, was located in Kugen-cho. You can see the characters for "Kugen-cho" in the upper left of the map.
An ageya was a house where one could call high-ranking courtesans such as tayu, tenjin, and koshi for entertainment. They were luxuriously built, with elegant designs ranging from the architecture to the furnishings. It is said that not only the owners of the ageya but also the guests who frequented them were refined people well-versed in poetry and haiku.
Let us look at the interior of the Yoshidaya. The building was entirely two stories high, and there were reception rooms on the second floor as well, showing that it was a very magnificent structure.
*Image processing of the readings (blue text) was done by the author.
"Setsuin" refers to a "setchin," which is a restroom.
30 ken is approximately 55m.
"Genkuhan" is the entrance, "tomobeya" is a servant's room (a room where attendants wait), "nando" is a storage room, "nakadoguchi" is the entrance from the storefront to the courtyard, and "yudono" is the bathhouse.
There are floor plans for other ageya (high-class brothels) besides the Yoshidaya, so please take a look if you are interested.
・Kuken-cho Izutsuya Sumiyoshiya Sakaiya
・Shinbori-cho Yamatoya Sumiyoshiya
・Echigo-cho Sumiyoshiya Tsukuniya Ibarakiya Ibarakiya Takashimaya Harimaya
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Yugiri, who had been bedridden since the autumn of the fifth year of the Enpo era (1678), passed away on the sixth day of the first month of the following year. This was five years after she moved from Kyoto to Osaka.
The following day, Yugiri was buried at Jokokuji Temple (Shimotera-cho, Tennoji-ku, Osaka), and her posthumous Buddhist name was given as Kagaku Hoshun Shinnyo.
This mound is sorrowful even without the willow tree.
- Onitsura
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Reference: National Diet Library Digital Collections "Lotus Flowers, Vol. 1", "Biographies of One Hundred Oriental Flower Beauties", "History of the Shinmachi Pleasure District (Ogiya Yugiri) (Yugiri-bun) (Yoshidaya) (Chaya and Ageya) (Procession of the Tayu)", "Biographies of Famous Women", "Travel Repentance", "Enseki Jushu, Vol. 1", "Collected Works of Shokusanjin, Vol. 1", "Records of Graves of Famous Naniwa Figures: Draft", "Osaka Guide: Official Lists", "Dictionary of Great Japanese People, Vol. 2, New Edition", "Study of Grave Sites in Kinki: Osaka Section", "Tales from the Boudoir: One Hundred Glamorous Beauties Who Colored National History", "Masterpieces of Domestic Plays, Vol. 8", "Overview of Tennoji Ward, 1940 Edition"
Author's Note: I will update this as needed when I decipher new characters or notice typos or misreadings. For details, please read "Self-Introduction / Disclaimer". 📖