Usuumotayu's Personal Consignment: The Prosperity of the Genroku Period and the Dreams of the Townspeople Reflected by the Oiran (Late 17th - Early 18th Centuries)

Usuumotayu's Personal Consignment: The Prosperity of the Genroku Period and the Dreams of the Townspeople Reflected by the Oiran (Late 17th - Early 18th Centuries)

The Genroku period (1688-1704) was a time of the most spectacular flowering of Edo culture. The economic center of the city shifted from samurai to wealthy merchants, and the townspeople amassed fortunes and spent lavishly on culture and entertainment. The symbol of this shift was Yoshiwara, where the oiran (courtesan) was a major event that showed off the social status of the townspeople. Usukumo Tayu of Matsubaya was one of the most popular courtesans of the time, and the amount paid by the townspeople to marry her was a huge 350 ryo, equivalent to about 15 million yen in today's money.

The "dakimake" was a system of releasing prostitutes from the bondage of the brothels and taking them as private wives or concubines. However, it was not only a story of romantic fulfillment, but also a transaction of capital and honor. The cost of a courtesan in the Omisei district could exceed 1,000 ryo, and wealthy merchants and wealthy townspeople competed with each other for the services of a courtesan as a means of showing off their wealth.

Behind this was the spirit of "vanity" and "extravagance" characteristic of the Genroku culture. As seen in Ihara Saikaku's "Koshoku Ichidai Otoko" and "Nihon Eitaigura," the townspeople of the time considered "spending money in style" to be an aesthetic way of life. Usuumotayu's marriage was also a symbolic case of Genroku society, where love and money, honor and desire intersected.

The Matsubaya, where Usuumotayu was taken, was a prestigious establishment in Yoshiwara, and her journey there attracted a great deal of attention. The sight of the oiran leaving the gate in a palanquin was as magnificent as a palanquin for royalty and nobility, and for the common people, it was a "ceremony to show their dreams. The wealthy merchants spent their money, the oiran wore their pride, and the culture of the townspeople flared up in the most beautiful way.