### Memories of the Shadow of a Brothel: Recollections from the Taisho and Early Showa Periods

### Memories of the Shadow of a Brothel: Recollections from the Taisho and Early Showa Periods

What is a brothel? I recall walking through Asakusa and Senzoku-cho as a young man and being told off by the women, "It's not a place for you guys to come yet. These words indicated that the brothel was not just a place for sex, but a place that embodied social order and rituals. The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 burned down the streets of the Twelfth Floor and Senzoku-cho, and they disappeared without being rebuilt. This loss overlapped with the memories of my youth and was deeply etched in my mind as a breakdown of urban culture. Before the earthquake, Asakusa was a microcosm of popular culture and desire, crowded with freak shows, photo studios, and private whorehouses masquerading as sake breweries. When I eventually visited Tamanoi, I found a maze of damp air and dark alleys, and my interactions with the women were not mere negotiations, but rather a reflection of the shadows of life and society. Through rejection, we learn about immaturity, and through acceptance, we c
ome into contact with society. My experience in the brothels was an ordeal and a question for me. Thus, the phrase "what is a brothel?" has become the very memory of my youth, reflecting the shadow of urban culture from the Taisho era to the early Showa era.