Roots of prostitutes - from ancient times to the Middle Ages

Roots of prostitutes - from ancient times to the Middle Ages

The origins of prostitutes can be traced back to the "yubu" or "yugyo nymphs" that existed in ancient Japan. The yubu were the people who performed songs and dances at the funerals of emperors, and they performed as performers of Shinto rituals and ceremonies. The Manyoshu (Anthology of Myriad Leaves) also records the appearance of yugyo nymphs who were invited to the banquets of aristocrats posted in the countryside to perform songs and dances. These women supported the enrichment of aristocratic society and did not initially have the connotation of prostitutes.

However, as time went by, the situation changed. In the mid to late Heian period, as transportation networks were improved and rivers, port towns, and inns became crowded with people, prostitutes began to provide sexual entertainment in addition to performing arts. In particular, Eguchi in Settsu Province and Kawayo in Yamashiro Province were key transportation hubs, and the formation of brothel towns played a role in the local economy. Here, prostitutes were transformed from entertainers at banquets to prostitutes who made their living by prostitution.

In the late Heian period (794-1185), women who excelled at dancing and singing and were deeply involved with powerful men, such as Shiraibyoko, or Shizuka Gozen, known as Minamoto no Yoshitsune's favorite mistress, were representative of such women. Although they maintained their status as entertainers, they were often treated socially as prostitutes.

This trend spread throughout the medieval period, and prostitutes became firmly established in society as an entity that carried the dual nature of entertainment and prostitution. The Yoshiwara and other brothel systems authorized by the Edo shogunate for the purpose of controlling public order were the institutionalization of this medieval way of being a prostitute. In other words, the history of prostitutes is a mirror of the cultural and economic changes in Japanese society, as they transitioned from being the bearers of religious rituals to reflecting the desires of urban society.