Yoshiwara after the Meiji Restoration - Between Freedom and Regulation (1872-1956)

Yoshiwara after the Meiji Restoration - Between Freedom and Regulation (1872-1956)

With the advent of the Meiji Restoration, the new government promulgated the "Prostitute Emancipation Ordinance" in 1872 as part of the reform of the feudal system, allowing prostitutes to freely close their businesses. Although this was a groundbreaking attempt to break the cycle of indentured servitude, the reality was that many prostitutes still owed debts to their parents and had to pay dowries, and the majority of them were unable to close their businesses even after the liberation decree was issued. The gap between the ideal and the reality was so great that Yoshiwara remained a place of bondage for women, even though they were given "freedom" under the system.

Later, the government did not abolish brothels altogether, but kept them in existence by establishing a "public prostitution system" and placing them under the supervision of sanitation and public morals. Yoshiwara continued to operate in accordance with laws and regulations such as the Regulations for Control of Rental Shacks, and developed as a pleasure district in a modern city. The brothels were built in a blend of Japanese and Western styles, and gaslights and electric lights were introduced to symbolize modernization, but behind the glamorous atmosphere, women continued to be subject to strict discipline and prejudice.

Even after the Meiji era (1868-1912), Yoshiwara was still known as the "Burakai," and the conditions of prostitutes were hardly improved. Although sanitary inspections became mandatory and police controls were strengthened, these measures did not guarantee women's human rights. Although brothels continued to exist during the chaos of the postwar period, they were finally abolished in 1956 with the enforcement of the Anti-Prostitution Law, bringing an end to Yoshiwara's long history. Thus, Yoshiwara was a symbol of the contradictions of modern Japan, where women continued to be tossed about between liberation and regulation.