The Yoshiwara of the Edo period, from the Horeki era to the Late Edo era.

The Yoshiwara of the Edo period, from the Horeki era to the Late Edo era.

From the Horeki period onward, Yoshiwara was a space for entertainment that survived by reorganizing the system itself. In the past, Yoshiwara was an extremely closed social gathering place for the upper class, centering on the format of inviting a tayu to a yaya, and the play was a complete one-night-only ritual. The more extravagant the entertainment, the more meaningful it was. However, as the prosperity of the Genroku period came to an end and the shogunate tightened its finances and continued to decree thrift, this style of play became socially and economically unsustainable. Yoshiwara was at a point where it could not survive without changing the way it played itself.

The process involved the dismantling of the ageya system and the shift to a storefront style, in which customers played directly in the geisha houses. Customers were no longer invited to the house, but instead passed through the gate, chose a geisha house, and went up to the room. This change is not a mere simplification. It meant that the subject of the game had shifted from feudal lords and wealthy merchants to townspeople and middle-class samurai. In Edo after the Horeki period, disposable income was limited, but the desire for entertainment did not wane. Rather than expensive one-night stands, people began to seek entertainment that they could afford to go to again and again.

The existence of Hikitechaya made this new way of playing a reality. The teahouse was not merely a guide, but also screened customers, assigned them to the appropriate brothel or prostitute, paid their expenses once, and collected the money at a later date. In this way, customers could play even if they had little cash on hand, and the brothels were freed from the worry of unpaid accounts. By taking over the entire flow of money and credit, the Hikitechaya became the traffic controller for Yoshiwara as a whole. Its function was similar to that of a modern-day entertainment information center or an intermediary business that also served as a credit management agency.

Once this system was in place, Yoshiwara rapidly became popularized. Even first-time visitors could avoid major mistakes by going through a Hikitechaya, and the fee structure was divided into detailed time and grade categories. The prostitutes were positioned not as symbolic tayu, but rather as the nominated, revolving, and profitable players. Yoshiwara was transformed from a stage of ritual into a service business that continued to rotate on a daily basis within the city.

This shift did not mean that the yoshiwara's status was lowered. It was a reflection of the fact that Edo society itself had shifted from an era of flaunting extravagance to one of enjoying oneself while balancing one's finances. The disappearance of the "upaya" system and the shift to storefront establishments were symbolic changes that marked the maturation of the late Edo period, when the culture of the common people took center stage, and Hikitechaya was a decisive presence standing on the border between the two.