The Flower and Logic of the Three Cities: A Review of Youri in the Second Half of the Eighteenth Century

The Flower and Logic of the Three Cities: A Review of Youri in the Second Half of the Eighteenth Century

In the latter half of the 18th century, Japan's three major yugakui (brothels) competed with each other, each having developed its own unique culture and sense of beauty. Shimabara in Kyoto, with the elegance of the ancient capital behind it and the court culture behind it, had beautiful-looking prostitutes, but they were reputed to be easily influenced by money and goods. Osaka's Shinmachi was a mercantile city, and although moderately good-looking, its prostitutes were amiable and charming, and had the art of exquisitely shortening the distance between them and their customers. The Yoshiwara of Edo, on the other hand, were proudly vain and vain, but were also noted for their somewhat logical natures. These reputations were recorded as stylish comparisons in genre literature in the vein of Ihara Saikaku and in a brothel guide called Hosomi, and were widely discussed among the townspeople and samurai of the time.

The background to this is the maturation of urban culture and the rise of the merchant class in the mid- to late-Edo period. The pleasure quarters became more than a place of entertainment; they became a stage for the intersection of art and social interaction, and literary figures, wealthy merchants, and even warriors traveled back and forth between the three capitals to experience the spirit of the city. In Shimabara, the courtly courtesies were elegant and refined; in Shinmachi, the merchants' spirit gave rise to chic hospitality; and in Yoshiwara, intellectual exchange of courtesies and formal games were developed. The prosperity of merchant culture from the Meiwa to Tenmei periods, as well as the connection with haikai, joruri, and kabuki, also add color to the background of this comparison. Thus, the reviews of prostitutes in the three cities transcended mere gossip and became a mirror symbolizing the cultural identity of each city.