A Yoshiwara Revival: A Century After the Great Kantō Earthquake

Picture postcards on sale after the earthquake, with Ueno Park’s Great Buddha on the left and the Ryōunkaku on the right. (Courtesy Tokyo Metropolitan Library)

A photo of the scene at Benten-ike displayed at the Yoshiwara Benzaiten shrine. (© Kichiya)

The sacred Aizome cherry tree at Yoshiwara Jinja and the Yoshiwara Benzaiten goshuin designed by Kichiya. (© Kichiya)

Yoshiwara Tatsuo at Benten-ike, where a water feature is being added. (© Kichiya)

The refurbished Benten-ike is slightly larger than before. (© Kichiya)

Tōto meisho Yoshiwara nenrei no zu (Landmarks of Edo: New Year Greetings at Shin-Yoshiwara), a woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige shows crowds milling about in Yoshiwara to exchange New Year greetings. (Courtesy National Diet Library)

This picture postcard, Tokyo meisho Shin Yoshiwara kōen (Tokyo Landmark Shin-Yoshiwara Park), created from a hand-colored photo shows two prostitutes strolling, with Benten-ike partially visible in the left foreground. (Taishō era (1912–26), courtesy private collection)

Brothels line the street in this Tokyo Shin-Yoshiwara picture postcard. (Taishō era, courtesy private collection)

Picture postcard depicting the street near Yoshiwara’s Central Gate before the earthquake. (Courtesy private collection)

Picture postcard showing total destruction of the Yoshiwara quarter near the Central Gate. By late afternoon on September 1, only the gate’s pillars were left standing, and the area was shrouded in smoke. (Courtesy Tokyo Metropolitan Library)

In this photo, the area near the Central Gate has been cleared of rubble. A solitary structure housing a bar stands in the background. In Tokyo shinsairoku chizu oyobi shashinchō (Pictorial Record and Maps of the Great Kantō Earthquake), published in 1926. (Courtesy Tokyo Metropolitan Library)

The statue of Kannon and the pond were moved to their new location. (© Kichiya)

A Buddhist service took place on September 1, 2022, marking the ninety-ninth year after the earthquake. (© Kichiya)

Many people attended the ceremony to enjoy a performance offered as part of the service. In the photo are traditional storyteller Mochizuki Tazae and a member of his troupe. (© Kichiya)