Lantern and Flower Procession - Yoshiwara, Edo period, 1790-1860

Lantern and Flower Procession - Yoshiwara, Edo period, 1790-1860
Yoshiwara was a town of festivals that lived together with the events of the four seasons. For each annual event, such as the Dragon Boat Festival, Tanabata Festival, Bon Festival, and New Year's Day, the streets of Yoshiwara were decorated with festive costumes, and oiran (courtesans) and prostitutes put on a show for each season. These events were the epitome of the festival culture of Edo, and townspeople, warriors, and travelers from all walks of life were enchanted by the spectacle.

On Dragon Boat Festival, irises and tansies were decorated in front of the eaves of harimise and Hikite teahouses to ward off evil spirits and pray for good health. It became a custom for oiran (courtesans) to walk down the street with iris leaves in their hair, green kosode (sleeves), and fans. At night, all the lanterns and lanterns were lit at once, and the golden light of the procession of oiran (courtesans) on the street was like a dreamlike procession, according to records.

The night of Tanabata was also gorgeous. Bamboo branches were erected in front of the brothels and teahouses, and words such as "good marriage," "eternal marriage," and "kizuna (a promise) of the floating world" were written on tanzaku (paper strips). The courtesans and young young prostitutes would add their own names in small letters, light lanterns, and make their wishes while watching the bamboo branches sway in the night breeze. These Tanabata decorations were one of the few opportunities for prostitutes to express their wishes freely.

These events were also deeply related to the economic activities of Yoshiwara. The festivities attracted customers and served as publicity for the show, and the cost of the lanterns and decorations was competitively financed by the brothels and teahouses that pulled the lanterns and decorations. Yoshiwara's Tanabata festivals were especially popular in Edo, and the town was crowded with people who came to see the festivities.

In Edo, festivals were a place to confirm communal ties, but in Yoshiwara, these ties were fictionalized. The decorations and lanterns were symbols of the wishes of men and women who would never be united, but this is where the sophistication and fragility of the Edo people were concentrated.

The procession of oiran (courtesans), the rustling of bamboo grass, and the flickering of lanterns that adorn the night of the brothels are all exquisite reproductions of Edo's festive culture, conveying the memory of Yoshiwara, a city of fleeting but eternally glowing dreams.