Yoshiwara was the famous entertainment town of old Edo. But there was a dark side. An older post but still good today.
https://rekishinihon.com/2015/02/06/the-throw-away-temple-dumping-ground-of-the-yoshiwara-prostitutes/?wref=tp
https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/16710ih/the_dark_side_of_the_yoshiwara_quarters/
3 comments
I remember going for a stoned walk 25 years ago, and randomly deciding to read the plaque outside that temple. Its an area with a lot of dark history, but that one stood out.
The “Pleasure Quarters” get romanticized a lot, but those women were in literal cages to prevent escape, and the whole neighborhood was walled off too. I think there was only one way in or out of Yoshiwara
Very interesting write up. I was there in Spring. There was – by chance – an Oiran procession along one of the famous cherry blossom streets. So I did some follow-up reading, but did not know enough to search out this particular temple and monument.
In the back streets I saw several boards advertising ‘entertainment’ inside some quite anonymous looking apartment blocks. Y11,000 for 80 minutes or so. I presumed these were the modern day sex workers.
Very interesting historical read. Thanks for sharing!