Shimabara, Kyoto
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Shimabara (島原) was a courtesan's district in Kyoto until prostitution was outlawed in Japan in the middle of the twentieth century. Now, it is mostly a tourist attraction and historical site.
In the early 17th century there was widespread male and female prostitution throughout the cities of Kyoto, Edo, and Osaka. To counter this, an order of Tokugawa Hidetada of the Tokugawa shogunate restricted prostitution to designated city districts. These districts were Shimabara for Kyōto (1640[1]), Shinmachi for Ōsaka (1624–1644[1]) and Yoshiwara for Edo (1617[1]). The main reason for establishing these nightless cities was the Tokugawa shogunate trying to prevent the nouveau riche chōnin (townsmen) from political intrigue[1].
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Flowers of the Floating World: Geisha and Courtesans in Japanese Prints and Photographs, 1772–1926 by Sanders of Oxford (exhibition)
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