Part 14

_Ditto_, with a caparisoned white horse, and two footmen singing the “_Komuro-bushi_” song. 348 _mon_ (34 _sen_ 8 _rin_)

From the Asakusa gate to the gate of the Yoshiwara. Ordinary charge. 132 _mon_ (13 _sen_ 2 _rin_)

_Ditto_, with a caparisoned white horse, and two footmen singing the “_Komuro-bushi_” song. 248 _mon_ (24 _sen_ 8 _rin_)

The above proves the taste of the period for white horses, and besides this there was a song in vogue in the Meireki era (1655–1657) which described the graceful appearance of a man of rank visiting the Yoshiwara on the back of a white steed.

Byō-chū oyobi In-shoku no koto.

(_Of the sickness of prostitutes and of their meals._)

Generally speaking, every _yūjo_ possesses a room in which she lives irrespective of the fact of whether she has visits from guests or otherwise; but, in some houses, when a prostitute falls sick, she is not allowed to remain in her room, and is sent down to the _ō-beya_ (large apartment) for treatment: this room is known among the inmates of the brothel as “_yosé-ba_” (place of gathering).

In a courtesan’s apartment is to be found every cooking utensil necessary in the preparation of a meal, and therefore many of the girls take their meal in their own room, merely getting boiled rice up from the kitchen and preparing other articles themselves.

In some houses however, all the inmates have dinner together in the kitchen, and so there is an old saying—“_Yūjo wo nabe-kama nashi no shotai-mochi_” (“Yūjo are like house-holders who are possessed of neither pots nor pans.”) In the Kajita-rō the _yūjo_ used to make their servants boil rice for them in their own rooms over charcoal fires.

Hiké no koto.

(_Closing hours in the Yoshiwara._)

Mention is made in the “_Yoshiwara Ōkagami_” (吉原大鑑) that the _hiké_ was fixed at 10 o’clock, but afterwards this was considered too early, and no clapping of _hyōshigi_ (a pair of wooden blocks which are struck together as a signal) was made at that hour. The great gate (_Ō-mon_) was shut at 10 o’clock, but the _kuguri-do_ (a small low door cut in a gate) was left open so as to permit ingress and egress. When the hour of midnight struck, (then called _kokonotsu-doki_), the _hyōshigi_ were clapped together four times, and the place was finally closed up.

Kōchō no koto.

(_The next morning._)

In the “_Yoshiwara Ōkagami_” (吉原大鑑)—referred to in the preceding chapter—it says that “_the parting and return home in the morning is called “Kōchō_” (後朝), but in ordinary Japanese the parting of two lovers in the morning is idiomatically termed “_Kinu-ginu no wakare_.”

Hiru-jimai Yo-jimai no koto.

(_The day and night engagements of courtesans._)

The “_Yoshiwara Ōkagami_” (吉原大鑑) also says that there were formerly two kinds of _shimai_ (仕舞 here the word means “engagement”) viz:—_Hiru-jimai_ (day engagement) and _Yo-jimai_ (night engagement.)[36]

Raku-seki no koto.

(_The removal of names from the register of the Yoshiwara._)

The “_Yoshiwara Ōkagami_” (吉原大鑑) says:—

There are three kinds of _rakuseki_. One is to leave the Yoshiwara at the expiry of the term of engagement (_nenki aki_); the second is to be redeemed by a guest before the term of service has expired (_mi-uke_); the third is to be redeemed by parents (also _mi-uke_). When a woman is discharged by her master, owing to the expiry of her term of engagement, she receives back from him her contract (_shōmon_) of service and goes away after bidding farewell to her friends and acquaintances. At the same time a check or pass (_tegata_), couched in the following terms, is given to the woman to serve as a token of her right to pass out of the great gate:—

Courtesan ____(name)____ belonging to the house of ____(name)____.

Her term of engagement having expired, she is to be handed over to her relatives outside the quarter, therefore please allow her to pass through the great gate without fail. (Date)

(Signed) Headman, (SEAL.)

To Shirobei, Esq.

Great gate.

But although a woman may be fortunate enough to escape the bitterness of this living death, and succeed in reaching the outside world again, yet she has violated the virtue of chastity, wasted the flower of her youth in vicious living, and as she is unaccustomed to attend to the proper duties of women her future prospects are anything but cheerful and reassuring.

Generally, the term of engagement is supposed to expire when a prostitute reaches the age of 25 years, but as a matter of fact the girls generally remain until they have reached the age of 27.

As for the _mi-uke_ (redemption by a guest), it is a vastly different thing to the _nenki-aki_ (expiry of term of engagement) as it not only relieves a woman from years of disgusting and painful servitude, but it may enable her to attain to a life of comparative ease and luxury. Under these circumstances, _mi-uke_ is earnestly desired by many a prostitute, and although in vulgar novels certain girls are made to decline the offer of _mi-uke_ by some rich guest, because they have lovers to whom they have pledged themselves to marry on the expiration of their term of engagement, such occurrences in real life are extremely rare. Far from dissuading a guest from purchasing her freedom, the average _yūjo_ will positively importune him to take her out if he manifests his intention of doing so. When a guest wishes to redeem a woman for whom he has taken a fancy, and whose affection he desires to obtain, he mentions the matter to the brothel-keeper, who in turn communicates with the girl’s parents, and as, of course, the latter can raise no reasonable objection, the _mi-uke_ is forthwith arranged. The redemption-money (_mi-no-shiro-kin_), and all the debts of the girl, are paid by the guest, and her contract of service (_mi-uri shōmon_ = “document-of-the-sale-of-the-body”) is returned. In the proceedings that follow, the brothel-keeper plays the part of a parent to the girl. To her friends _sekihan_ (red rice: rice boiled with red beans) and other food is distributed, while presents of _seki-han_ and _katsubushi_ (smoked bonito) are made to the tea-houses of the Naka-no-chō to celebrate the occasion. Farewell tips are also given to _geisha_ (singing girls), _hō an_ (jesters), and _wakai-mono_ (men-servants), with whom the guest is acquainted, and a splendid banquet is held in the room where he has so often disported himself. On this occasion, the girl who has been redeemed, and her erstwhile fellow _yūjo_, assemble, and _geisha_ and _hōkan_ are invited to enliven the dinner. After the feast is over, the couple are escorted by a troop of men and women as far as the _ō-mon_ (great gateway), where palanquins (_kago_) are waiting for them, and amidst a chorus of good-wishes and “_sayonara_” (good-bye!) enter these conveyances and ride away.

Further, there are two kinds of _yūjo_, known as “_zegen-tsuki_” and “_zegen-nashi_,” or those who were sold by parents direct, and those who are sold through the medium of procurers (_zegen_). Those who are sold direct by parents (_zegen-nashi_) are easier and less expensive to redeem, whereas the _zegen-tsuki_ (sold through procurers) are not so, as the _zegen_ often purposely try to increase the debts of such women, or to secretly prolong their term of engagement, thus throwing obstacles in the way of their redemption by a guest.

Gwaishutsu oyobi tōbō.

(_Exit and flight from the Yoshiwara._)

The _Yoshiwara Ō-kagami_ (吉原大鑑) says that the going abroad of prostitutes was prohibited at the founding of the Yoshiwara, and only _tayū_ were occasionally allowed to attend the Hyō-jō-sho (Supreme Court) to wait on officials.

In the case of a “jōro” being summoned before the “_machibugyō_” she was accompanied by two _wakaimono_, the master of the brothel, five wardsmen (“_go-nin-gumi_”) a representative of the “_nanushi_” and her “_yarite_.” The latter made a small present to the attendants of the “_bugyō_” that they might spread a mat for the “_jōro_” to sit on, and the “_jōro_” remained silent while the “_yarite_” answered the questions of the judge.

Once in every Spring, all the inmates of the brothels used to go out to either Ueno, Asukayama, or Mukōjima, to see the cherry-blossoms, and on these occasions they spent the day in drinking _saké_ under the cherry-trees, and amusing themselves by dancing and other pastimes. The custom of the _tayū_ appearing at the Hyō-jō-sho ceased about the era of Kwan-ei (1624–1643), and that of cherry-blossom viewing also dropped out of fashion after the Bunsei era (1818–1829). Even after this latter date, sick prostitutes requiring the treatment of a physician outside the Yoshiwara, or those who wished to go to their master’s villa (_rō-shu no bessō_) for the benefit of their health, were allowed to pass through the gate. If the parents of prostitutes who lived at Asakusa, and in its neighbourhood, were dangerously ill, they were allowed to visit them by the special permission of the _rō-shu_ (brothel-keeper), but even in these cases the women were passed out under pretext of sickness, and a passport was given to them by the _nanushi_, as follows:—

Courtesan ____(name)____ employed by ____(name)____, who is under my management, being sick, is sent out of the great gateway (_ō-mon_) to visit Doctor ____(name)____ accompanied by her master. She is to be allowed to pass the gate without fail.

(Signed)__________ (_Nanushi_) (SEAL.)

To Shirobei Esq., Great Gateway.

A woman thus allowed out of the Yoshiwara would perhaps have looked out of her _kago_ (palanquin) as she was borne along through the streets, and wondered at the novelty of her surroundings. Then she might have become impatient, owing to her anxiety after her parent’s health, and urged the _kago-ya_ (bearers) to hurry forward. Arriving at her parents’ house she would perhaps have found her father, seriously ill, lying in squalid wretchedness, and have been met by her poor old mother who, taking her daughter’s hand in her own, might have been overcome with deep emotion and wept bitterly. Then came long consultations about the future, and the day of grace began to draw to a close, for it was a rule that courtesans out on leave had to return to the Yoshiwara before 5.30 p.m. By and by the sad and solemn tones of the temple bell at Asakusa would give her warning that her time had expired, and urged on by the _yarite_ (an old brothel hag), whom she had perforce brought with her, she rose and bade farewell to her weeping parents, and re-entering her _kago_ was carried back to her life of gilded misery well-nigh blinded by an agony of helpless tears.

Although the rules relating to the passage of the _ō-mon_ (great gateway) were as above, there were some prostitutes who attempted to run away from the Yoshiwara, owing to an irresistible desire to see their lovers, or being heavily in debt. When such an event happened, the brothel-keeper concerned sent out men on all sides to trace the absconding woman, or applied to the police office (_mem-ban-sho_) for her capture, and as detectives were immediately set to work to ascertain her whereabouts, nearly all runaway women were caught and ignominiously brought back to their masters. When an absconder was brought back, she was censured for her ill-considered step by the master, _yarite_, and _bantō_, and all the expenses incurred in connection with her detection and capture were added to her debt: this had the effect of prolonging the term of her servitude in the brothel. Sometimes private punishment was meted out to her by the master if he thought she deserved it. When an elopement was attempted twice or thrice in succession, the woman in question was generally re-sold to one of the prostitute quarters outside the Yoshiwara through the agency of a _zegen_ (procurer): this practice was called “_Kuragae_” (change of saddles). It is said to have been the custom that when the keeper of a brothel outside the Yoshiwara was in treaty for the purchase of a “_kuragae_” prostitute, he sent his _bantō_ to the house to which she belonged as an ordinary guest. The _bantō_ spent the night with her, and the _mi-no-shiro-kin_ (price-of-the-body) was settled according to his report.

Yūjo byō-shi oyobi jō-shi no koto.[37]

(_Of the death and double-suicide of courtesans._)

The _Yoshiwara Ō-kagami_, (吉原大鑑) says that as the life of a courtesan is generally spoken of as “_the painful world_” (_Ku-gai_ 苦界) its really painful nature may be well imagined. Not only does a woman who has fallen into this unhappy position become a mere plaything to gratify the lusts of immoral men, but her freedom is so curtailed by circumstances that she cannot even sleep and eat independently, and therefore often has her constitution ruined owing to her irregular mode of eating and drinking. Others fall sick by reason of excessive anxiety over monetary affairs, and others fall a prey to loathsome and, perchance, virtually incurable diseases.

When a first-class prostitute (_jōtō no yūjo_) was sick, if the master of the brothel had been to much expense in procuring her, he would spare no pains to cure her illness, and if the matter was serious the woman would be removed to the master’s villa, (which was situated, perhaps, in the vicinity of Imado or Sanya), for treatment. Such an invalid would be closely attended by a _kamuro_ (female page), and sometimes the master himself went to some temple to pray for her recovery. If, however, the _yūjo_ happened to belong to a lower class, and was not particularly popular, the attitude of the brothel-keeper would be entirely different, and the treatment of the girl would be simply entrusted to some quack doctor, the poor creature being meanwhile thrust into an out-of-the-way gloomy room where she would pine away unseen by the other inmates of the house. When her condition was considered very precarious, the master, in order to avoid the trouble and expense involved at death, used to summon her parents and hand the sick woman over to them together with her _shōmon_ (document of engagement). When a _yūjo_ died in a brothel the matter was reported by the monthly manager (_tsuki-gyōji_) of the Yoshiwara to the _nanushi_, and the latter summoned her parents or surety to take delivery of her corpse. In the event of the home of her parents being far away, the remains of the _yūjo_ were interred by the brothel-keeper in the Dōtetsu (general burial place) on the bank in the presence of her surety. This place was also known as the “_nage-komi_” (the “throwing-in-place”). There is an old poem illustrating the sad future which is in store for some unfortunate _shōgi_: it runs:—

“_She is hurried to the grave in a pauper’s coffin, with but one solitary little maid to mourn her._”

Alas! this description was only too true in many cases.

Besides natural death, there were many _yūjo_ who committed suicide, together with their sweethearts, owing to various reasons, among which the most powerful were either their inability to live together in conjugal felicity with each other, or their pecuniary embarrassments. Such double suicides had been known as _shinjū_ (心中 “the inside of the heart or mind”), but about the era of Kyōhō (1716–1735) Judge Ōoka Echizen-no-Kami, (who is regarded as the Japanese Solomon), gave it out as his opinion that the word _shinjū_ (心中) if read reversed would make _chūshin_ (中心 = loyalty) and that it was absurd to call the double suicide of a man and woman, owing to love affairs, “loyalty”. He therefore ordained that this kind of suicide should be called “_aitai-jini_” (相對死 = “death by mutual consent”) and that word was accordingly adopted.

The late Mr. Koidzumi Yakumo (Lafcadio Hearn) in his “_Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan_” (Vol. 1.) gives an extremely interesting example of _shinjū_, as follows:—

“There lived in ancient times a _hatamoto_ called Fuji-eda Geki, a vassal of the Shōgun. He had an income of five thousand koku of rice,—a great income in those days. But he fell in love with an inmate of the Yoshiwara named Ayaginu, and wished to marry her. When his master bade the vassal choose between his fortune and his passion, the lovers fled secretly to a farmer’s house, and there committed suicide together.

“The sad occurrence was commemorated in a popular song which ran:—

_Kimi to neyaru ka, go-sen-goku toru ka? Nan no go-sen-goku kimi to neyo?_ Once more to rest beside her, or keep live thousand koku? What care I for koku? Let me be with her!”

According to the _Tōto Ko-fun-shi_ (東都古墳志 = Record of ancient tombs in the Eastern Capital), the Jōkan-ji (浄閑寺) temple of Minowa, Shitaya district, was the burial ground of the _yūjo_ of the Yoshiwara. When the secret prostitutes of the City of Yedo were transported into the Yoshiwara, they were called _baijo_ (賣女 = “sold women”). Originally the bodies of these women, and other secret prostitutes, were interred in the burial ground of this temple only, but later on it became the custom to bury their remains elsewhere, as also those of regular _yūjo_. The book goes on to say:—

“In these burial places are to be found many graves of _yūjo_ who committed suicide with their paramours. On the tombstones are to be found engraved the descriptions of the swords with which they killed themselves, as well as their names and ages. There is something so weird and uncanny about these horribly pitiless records on the grey lichen-covered monuments that the blood of a sightseer runs cold and he becomes so nervous that he leaves the gloomy spot with the intention of never visiting it again.”[38]

Shin-Yoshiwara no Bodaiji.

(_The Cemetery of the Shin-Yoshiwara._)

The _Jōkan-ji_ temple at Minowa, and the Dōtetsu on[39] the bank (the Nihon-dzutsumi), were formerly the fixed burial places of the Yoshiwara _yūjo_ who died during their terms of service and who had no person to take charge of their remains. Since the Restoration, however, the regulations of the prostitute quarters having been altered, the burial of a _yūjo_ in these cemeteries is a rare occurrence.

The grave of the famous Taka-o of the Mi-ura-ya, and that of Usugumo, are both in the Dōtetsu cemetery. The grave of Usugumo is known as _neko-dzuka_ (the-mound-of-the cat). October the 20th, 1893, having fallen on the 233rd anniversary of the death of Taka-o, a grand religious service was held in this temple and was attended by large crowds of people belonging to the Yoshiwara.

On the grave of Taka-o is written:—

_Samu kaze ni_ Alas! poor maple leaves _Moroko mo kutsuru_ which are crushed and scattered _Momiji kana!_ by the cold winds.

Karitaku no Koto.

(_The temporary prostitute quarter._)

The _kari-taku_ means the establishment of a temporary place for carrying on business when the Yoshiwara is completely destroyed by fire. When such a disaster occurs, the brothel-keepers apply to the authorities for a permit to establish a _kari-taku_, and their application is said to be granted forthwith, even in case of only partial destruction of the quarter by fire.

The Yoshiwara has been enjoying comparative immunity from fire for quite a long period, but as late as 1862 (May 29th) more than half of the brothels in the quarter were burnt to the ground, and a _kari-taku_ was established in the neighbourhood of Fukagawa. During the time that the business is carried on in a temporary quarter, rules and usages are not adhered to very strictly by the brothels, and sometimes, under the pretext of aiming at simplicity, even tea-houses are allowed to carry on the profession of brothel-keeping. Under these circumstances, more money flows into the pockets of the brothel-keeper than in ordinary times, and the trade usually becomes brisker than previously, owing to a larger number of guests being attracted by the novelty of the altered conditions. When therefore the Yoshiwara is not prosperous, and trade is dull, the brothel-keepers not unnaturally wish for the establishment of a _kari-taku_. In the 2nd year of Kei-ō (1866), while the _kari-taku_ was established at Monzen-chō, Fukagawa, an application was forwarded to the authorities by a certain brothel keeper, offering the payment of 10,000 _ryō_ per annum if they would give permission to leave the “temporary quarter” there permanently: the application was rejected. The “_kari-taku_” practice originated in the third year of the Meireki era (1657) when the brothels of Fukiya-chō were swept out of existence by the memorable conflagration of that year, and pending removal to the Yoshiwara, temporary brothels were established at Imado, Sanya, and Yama-no-shiku by means of renting ordinary houses.

After that time, whenever the Yoshiwara was destroyed by a fire, a temporary quarter was established for from two hundred to three hundred days, either at _Ryōgoku_, _Nakadzu_, _Takanawa_, _Fukagawa_, _Asakusa_, _Namiki_, _Hanakawado_, etc. The temporary brothels established in the second year of Kōkwa (1845) were scattered here and there in twenty different streets, viz:—_Yamakawa-chō_, _Ta-machi_, _it-chō-me_, _Ta-machi_, _ni-chō-me_, _Sanya-machi_, _Asakusa-machi_, _Shin Torikoye-machi_, _it-chōme_, _Shin Torikoye-machi_, _ni-chō-me_, _Shin Torikoye-machi_, _san-chō-me_, in front of the _Hachiman On-yado_: (in _Honjō_ district); _Rokushaku-yashiki_, _Kaneyashiki_, _Nagaoka-chō_, _jit-chō-me_; _Hachirobei-yashiki_; _Matsui-chō_, _it-chō-me_, and _Irie-chō_; (in _Fukagawa_ district); _Eitai-ji-Monzen-chō_, _Naka-chō_, _Higashi Naka-chō_, _Yamamoto-chō_, _Matsumura-chō_, _Tsukuda-chō_, _Tokiwa-chō_, _ni-chō-me_. In _Hanakawado-machi_ and _Shōden-chō_ (_Asakusa_), Tamaya Sanzaburō, and twenty-one other well-known brothels, were carrying on their business under special charter (_tokkyo_) received from the authorities.

The official instructions issued at the time of the establishment of temporary brothels were not uniform by any means, as they were drawn up to suit special circumstances, but an idea of such notifications may be gained by perusing the following transcript of one issued in the 6th year of Kwansei (1794):—

Owing to the destruction by fire of the Yoshiwara, the carrying on of the profession in temporary houses is hereby allowed, provided that the Keepers strictly conform to the following conditions:—

(1). The clothes worn by the _yūjo_ shall not be such as to be strikingly attractive.

(2). No _yūjo_ or _kamuro_ is to be allowed outside the houses, and this applies even to being outside the houses to which they may actually belong.

Even inside the houses, they shall not be permitted to appear in the front second-storey or in the windows in such a manner as to attract passers-by.

(3). So long as the business is carried on outside of the regular quarter, everything shall be done in a quiet and unobtrusive manner, and no such displays as are allowed in the Yoshiwara shall be attempted nor permitted.

The following description of a _Kari-taku_ is given in the “_Yedo Honjō-ki_” (江戸繁昌記 Records of the prosperity of Yedo):—

“A temporary brothel has, as a rule, very limited accommodation, its capacity being only about one-tenth of that of the proper permanent building in the Yoshiwara, while the influx of guests is ten times larger than usual. Under such circumstances the beds of several guests are packed into one room, and simply divided off by means of screens: this kind of sleeping accommodation is called _wari-doko_ (a divided bed). The beds are so arranged that sometimes one’s feet are in juxtaposition with another person’s head and _vice versa_. Inside the screens may be heard the voice of a _yūjo_ chattering to her guest and flattering him with complimentary speeches such as:—‘Ever since our first meeting my love for you has become an ardent passion, and my whole soul yearns for your presence. There may be days when the raven will cease its cawing, but never a night when I fail to dream of you, my prince!’ * * *