Yoshiwara

Yoshiwara (吉原) was a famous red-light district in Edo period Japan.

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In the early 17th Century, Shogun Hideyoshi and Tokugawa authorities in Kyoto, Edo (now Tokyo), and Osaka passed rules confining prostitution to single sections of these cities.

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Kyoto's quarter was called the Shimabara, Osaka's quarter was the Shinmachi, and Edo's quarter was called the Yoshiwara. The Yoshiwara at one time had 3,000 Japanese women as prostitutes. Rōnin, masterless samurai, were not allowed in and neither were the prostitutes let out, except once a year to see the sakura cherry blossoms and to visit dying relatives.

Red-light district: A red-light district is a neighborhood where prostitution is a common part of everyday life. The term was first recorded in the United States around 1890, and derives from the practice of placing a red light in the window to indicate to customers the (often illegal) nature of the business. This is...

Edo period: The Edo period (Japanese: ????, Edo-jidai) is a division of Japanese history running from 1600 to 1867. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa Shogunate which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period ended in 1867 with the restoration of...

Japan: For other uses, see Japan (disambiguation)....