Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
wore white clothes and rode a white horse. Arrived at the house of assignation, the guests
would call for
sake,
which would be served by men or women; there would be dancing
and singing; the guests would be prevailed upon to do their party pieces, there might be
games, like blind man's buff, and other revelries that go with intoxication.
Tayu
might be
persuaded to join in, and most would pair up for the remainder of the night. There were no
doubtsomewhowentonlyfortherevelry,andleftintimetogethomebeforethegatesshut
for the night; most stayed till morning, and went back first light. It has been estimated that
in the 1680s the total cost of a night with a
tayu
would be the equivalent of £175 or $420,
so that it was a pleasure to be enjoyed only rarely unless one were very wealthy. However,
it was possible to get a certain amount of fun in Yoshiwara without spending any money
at all. At the front of the houses, bordering on the street, there were rooms with wooden
grills; asanadvertisement forthe delights available within, girls ofthe lower grades would
sit here, and sometimes engage in conversation and banter with the passers-by. It was not
advisable, however, to make too much of a habit of being a mere spectator, for this would
soon expose a man to abuse from the girls and even violence from their employers.
Yoshiwara was under the control of the town magistrates, who kept a close watch on
things. In particular, they had to be informed if anyone showed an inclination to take up
permanent residence, in case he was a fugitive from justice.
There was a certain amount of moral condemnation of indulgence by men in the pleas-
ures of the gay district. A wife, however jealous she might feel, was nevertheless expected
to maintain a dutiful front; her role was to produce and bring up her husband's children, to
look after his home and help with his business. While most husbands doubtless valued the
security and comfort that their wives gave them, they also claimed the freedom of having
an evening out when they felt so inclined, if only to the extent of taking a drink or two.
The main objection to profligacy was economic. When a man wasted his substance he was
offending against the merchant code of thrift, and was also depriving his descendants of
their due inheritance. No mention seems to be made of the dangers of contracting venereal
disease; this may have been restricted to Nagasaki, where foreigners maintained a pool of
infection.
Theeconomiccensurewasoftenoutweighedbythegreatglamourattachedtoknowing
how to behave in Yoshiwara. Much popular literature is concerned with the comical at-
tempts of country bumpkins to get into this sort of society, and with how ridiculous they
madethemselvesbytheirboorishnessandlackof
savoir-faire;
butforarealconnoisseurto
keephisreputation,adutifulwifemightmakeeconomiesathomeandevensellherclothes
to provide funds to enable him to continue his activities.
