Words and phrases: After the Horeki Era - Late Edo Period: Hikitechaya and Mawashi-mata in Shin-Yoshihara (Money and Moods)
From the Horeki era onward, Shin-Yoshihara matured as a huge service industry that revolved around the division of labor and credit behind the glamorous courtesan entertainment. As the "araya" system declined and the clientele expanded to include townspeople and middle-class warriors, the focus of entertainment shifted from one-night stands to a relationship of repeated visits. The key to this was a system whereby the teahouse would pay for the entertainment once, add up all the expenses, and bill the customer at a later date. Customers could play even if they had little cash on hand, and the geisha could avoid being left in the lurch, but if payment was delayed, it was the tea house that would suffer the loss. That is why the conversation of the Yoshiwara backstage echoes not as a game of love but as an inspection of credit. Is that customer down in the dumps, is he in a bad mood today, or when will he be able to collect on last month's bill? Hikitechaya had to select the cu
stomers, adjust the playing style, and realistically determine the rating of the prostitute to be played and the arrangements to be made.
The language used here may be soft on the surface, but it is raw on the inside. A report of a delay in collecting money was more than just an administrative message. If the account book of Hikitechaya became heavy, it would affect how to receive the next customer, and for the brothels, if the payment was delayed, their cash flow would slow down. Therefore, the kakemawari, who shuttles between the teahouse and the brothel, goes out to collect the accounts receivable. Kakemawari was in charge of collecting money and closing the flow of money. The family lineage of the customer, the state of his pocketbook, his habit of staying away, and even the spark of his anger are compressed into a few short words, and the next move is decided.
The information that a customer is in a bad mood is not merely a warning to avoid having the room ransacked. A bad mood is a sign of reluctance to pay or a breach of promise, and is treated as a warning of damage to trust. Therefore, the decision as to which prostitute to guess today is not a consideration of sentiment, but more like an arrangement to increase the likelihood of collection. The decision is not based on emotional considerations, but rather on the placement of the players in order to increase the likelihood of recovery. These decisions are made by the mawashi-mikata, who is responsible for the management of the tatami room. The mawashi-mata oversees the entire second-floor room, from preparing the banquet table to appeasing the dissatisfaction of guests and adjusting the mood of the prostitutes, and in some cases, even putting out fires in disputes over accounts. The reason why the conversation of the backstage staff sounds similar to that of today's night busin
ess is that this role was an integral part of customer service, accounting, and risk management.
Furthermore, the language of this world was also a technique for concealing the blatant counting of money. If the money was told up front, it would be degrading, but if it was not, it would leave a loss. The geisha house would lead the customer to an extension or a gratuity without damaging his or her face, and the geisha would make the customer pay without disturbing the atmosphere in the room. If the game between the prostitute and the customer is the front stage, the words to keep the stage moving without falling were used at the Hikitechaya, the mawashikata, and the young men. There, rather than sweet words, short sentences of practical advice, such as "Today is dangerous," "Today you can get it," and "Today you should not pursue too far," were more important than sweet words. As a recent study suggests, the glamorous production was at the same time a curtain that covered up the harsh reality of Yoshiwara in the late Edo period. Behind the scenes, the curtain was supporte
d by business conversations that simultaneously dealt with money and good mood.
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