The book presents a detailed examination of the Yoshiwara Yūkwaku, the officially sanctioned and strictly regulated pleasure quarter of Tokyo established during the early seventeenth century under the Tokugawa Shogunate. The author, a long-term resident of Japan, compiles extensive documentation to provide a sociological and medical overview of the institution, addressing why the government chose segregation and control over total suppression of the social evil. The text outlines the physical layout of the quarter, including the Great Gate, the introducing tea-houses known as hikite-jaya, and the various architectural classes of brothels. It meticulously details the hierarchy of courtesans, from the high-ranking oiran down to the lowest-grade prostitutes, tracking how titles and classifications evolved over three centuries.
Daily operations are explored through records of accounting systems, sumptuary laws governing dress and coiffures, and the complex web of debts and contracts involving procurers. Furthermore, the work addresses the introduction of modern medical inspections for venereal diseases, the establishment of lock hospitals, and the profound economic and social impact of the Meiji government decree that ultimately ordered the unconditional liberation of all indentured prostitutes. The narrative concludes with a vast collection of popular superstitions, street dialects, magic charms, and historical annals that capture the unique subculture of the quarter.
