Shinmachi (
Throughout the Edo period (1603–1868), there was widespread male and female prostitution throughout the cities of Kyoto, Edo, and Osaka. The Tokugawa shogunate attempted to control this by restricting prostitution to designated city districts, known as yūkaku. These districts were Shimabara in Kyōto (est. 1640[1]), Shinmachi in Osaka (est. 1624–1644[1]) and Yoshiwara in Edo (est. 1617[1]). These restrictions and controls did not derive from a moral opposition to prostitution, but out of a desire to compartmentalize certain types of activity within the cities. Kabuki and jōruri theatres, and other related entertainment establishments were similarly controlled.
References
edit- ^ a b c Anne Louise Avery, Flowers of the Floating World: Geisha and Courtesans in Japanese Prints and Photographs, 1772–1926 (Sanders of Oxford Exhibition Catalogue, March 2006)
External links
edit34°40′39″N 135°29′52″E / 34.6776°N 135.497805°E (Ruin of Shinmachi Bridge:East Gate)