Yoshiwara Is The First Attempt In Nearly A Century To Give A Comprehensive And Detailed Account Of Edo-period Japan's Legendary Pleasure Quarter. The Book Begins With A Brief History Of Prostitution In Japan And Follows With A Survey Of The Yoshiwara From Its Origins In The Early 1600s To Shortly After The Meiji Restoration In 1868. Yoshiwara Society Possessed For Most Of Its History Considerable Glamour And Surface Allure, Yet, At The Same Time, It Accommodated Attitudes And Activities That Today Could Only Be Regarded As Exploitative And Inhumane. Cecilia Segawa Seigle Looks Impartially At All Aspects Of Yoshiwara Life, Offering Much Information - The Result Of Painstaking Research In Primary Sources - That Will Be A Revelation To Readers In The West. While Discussing In Depth The Highly Specialized And Idiosyncratic World Of Licensed Prostitution, Seigle Also Makes The Reader Aware Of The Broader Impact Of This Insular Entertainment Quarter On The Manners And Mores Of Other Segments Of Japanese Society, Both Then And Now. Arranged Chronologically, Yoshiwara Is Not So Much A History As A Companion To Studies Of Edo-period Literature, Theatre, And The Visual Arts. It Provides An Overview Of The Social, Cultural, And Economic Influences On And Of This Microcosm Of Early-modern Urban Japan. An Especially Engaging Feature Of This Readable Text Is The Liberal Use Of Anecdotes From Contemporary Sources. Specialists Will Find Particularly Interesting The Carefully Researched And Clearly Written Exposition Of The Quarter's Complex Hierarchy And Elaborate Code Of Behavior. While Always Maintaining The Distinction Between Fact And Fabrication, This Fascinating Study Seeks To Delineate The Truths That Lie Behind The Legends. 1. Introduction: From Saburuko To Painted Harlots -- 2. Moto-yoshiwara. Building Edo. Izumo No Okuni And Kabuki. The Story Of Shokichi And Heitaro. Origin Of The Yoshiwara And Shoji Jin'emon. Opening Of The Yoshiwara. Early Days Of The Yoshiwara. Miyamoto Musashi And The Yoshiwara. Yoshiwara Proprietors. Tayu: The Castle Topplers. The Story Of Yoshino. Yoshiwara Duties. The Story Of Kaguyama. Rejection. Illegal Competitors. The Story Of Katsuyama. The Relocation Order And The Meireki Fire -- 3. Prosperity And Profligacy. Yakko Rivalries In The Yoshiwara. Daimyo Clients And The Story Of Takao. Visiting The Yoshiwara. The Cost Of A Visit. Courtesans And Kimono. The Story Of Kacho And Kayoiji. Rise Of The Merchants. Ki-bun And Nara-mo. Treatment Of The Courtesans. The Kamuro. The Sancha. The Story Of Komurasaki --^ 4. Traditions And Protocols. The Fall Of Millionaires. Shogun Yoshimune's Reign. The Six Tayu Of 1720. The Story Of Segawa. Music And Kabuki. Origins Of Annual Events. Najimi Protocols. Money Protocols. The Story Of Miura. The Taikomochi. The Yarite And The Story Of Chiyosato. Sancha And The Story Of Segawa Iii. Disappearance Of The Tayu -- 5. Age Of The Dandy: The Flowering Of Yoshiwara Arts. The Tsu: Paragon Of Sophistication. Frustrated Literati. The Sharebon. The Kibyoshi. The Kyoka. The Ukiyoe. Technical Instructions. The Senryu. Moneylenders And Toriyama Segawa. The Prosperity Of Nakasu. The Tenmei Disasters. The Kansei Reform -- 6. Rise Of The Geisha: An Age Of Glitter And Tragedy. The Female Geisha. Hari And The Story Of Kiyohana. The Shinzo. The Mizuage. Leaving The Yoshiwara. Presentation Of A New Oiran. The Display Of Bedding. The Shinju. Parodies Of Shinju. Limited Egalitarianism --^ 7. Decline Of The Yoshiwara. Atmosphere Of The Ka-sei Era. The Tenpo Reform. Corporal Punishment And Other Abuses. Venereal Disease. Last Efforts At Revitalization. Sundown At The Yoshiwara. The Maria Luz Incident. The Emancipation Act -- Appendix A: Procession Of Courtesans (oiran Dochu) -- Appendix B: Classes Of Courtesans And Prostitutes -- Appendix C: Classification Of Bordellos -- Appendix D: Ratio Of Male To Female Geisha, 1770-1800. Cecilia Segawa Seigle. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 279-293) And Index.