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The Courtesans of Yoshiwara

  • A high-ranking courtesan and attendant in Edo (left) and western Japan (right). From Morisada mankō (Morisada’s Sketches). (Courtesy National Diet Library)

    A high-ranking courtesan and attendant in Edo (left) and western Japan (right). From Morisada mankō (Morisada’s Sketches). (Courtesy National Diet Library)

  • A shinzō at Yoshiwara. From Morisada mankō (Morisada’s Sketches). (Courtesy National Diet Library)

    A shinzō at Yoshiwara. From Morisada mankō (Morisada’s Sketches). (Courtesy National Diet Library)

  • Prostitutes in a harimise, separated from the street by a lattice, in Yoshiwara jūniji (Yoshiwara at Twelve O’Clock). (Courtesy Kansai University Digital Archive)

    Prostitutes in a harimise, separated from the street by a lattice, in Yoshiwara jūniji (Yoshiwara at Twelve O’Clock). (Courtesy Kansai University Digital Archive)

  • The view of Yoshiwara shows harimise on both sides of the Nakanochō main street. The mikaeri yanagi, or “looking-back willow,” is said to have taken its name from the wistful backward glances of men leaving the pleasure district. Tōto Shin-Yoshiwara ichiran (View of Shin-Yoshiwara in the Eastern Capital) by Hiroshige II. (Courtesy Tokyo Metropolitan Central Library)

    The view of Yoshiwara shows harimise on both sides of the Nakanochō main street. The mikaeri yanagi, or “looking-back willow,” is said to have taken its name from the wistful backward glances of men leaving the pleasure district. Tōto Shin-Yoshiwara ichiran (View of Shin-Yoshiwara in the Eastern Capital) by Hiroshige II. (Courtesy Tokyo Metropolitan Central Library)

  • Yoshiwara yūkaku shōka no zu (A Yoshiwara Brothel) shows a lively scene on the second floor. (Courtesy National Diet Library)

    Yoshiwara yūkaku shōka no zu (A Yoshiwara Brothel) shows a lively scene on the second floor. (Courtesy National Diet Library)

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