High-class prostitutes and expenses - Behind the scenes of the debt-bound splendor (Edo period)

High-class prostitutes and expenses - Behind the scenes of the debt-bound splendor (Edo period)

The courtesans and tayu of Yoshiwara were symbols of Edo's merchant culture, and their figures were adorned with opulent costumes, hair ornaments, and furnishings. The oiran courtesans were the fashion leaders of their time, but behind the glamor of their performances was the enormous expense involved. The annual cost of the geisha sometimes exceeded 5,000 ryo, an amount that the average person could not earn for the rest of his or her life. In fact, many prostitutes had debts that far exceeded their fry-up fees due to the accumulated payments to brothel owners, costume rental companies, and craftsmen. Many of them fell into a vicious cycle of borrowing even more money to maintain their opulence.

As a historical background, the Edo period from the 18th to 19th centuries was a time of economic revitalization, and a period when merchant culture and consumption flourished. For merchants and feudal lords, the practice of taking on a courtesan was a status symbolizing social status, and for prostitutes, taking on a prostitute was one of the few ways to be released from debt. In reality, however, many prostitutes either ended their years in debt or fell ill and were sent to a temple. The image of Yoshiwara, where splendor and misery coexisted, reflected the very economic structure of the city, which was bound by debt.