The Light of Enclosed Love - Yoshiwara, Edo, 1770-1850

The Light of Enclosed Love - Yoshiwara, Edo, 1770-1850
Although Yoshiwara was a glamorous brothel, it was also the scene of the greatest number of tragic loves and heartbreaks. Since prostitutes were bound to the brothels under the guise of indentured servitude and were forbidden to leave until they paid their debts, they were not allowed to fall in love. Even so, there was no end to the number of cases of oiran (courtesans) and shinzokos having true feelings for their customers and wishing to marry them off or have them committed suicide. The heart-breaking cases of Okichi Akuniya during the Kyoho period and Toyoshiga during the Temmei period were spread through the kawaraban, and aroused the sympathy and admiration of the general populace. The prostitutes who attempted to escape were chased as "runaway women," but their martyrdom in love was portrayed as a symbol of emotional freedom in the performing arts and literature. Chikamatsu Monzaemon's "Enzoku no hikyaku" (The Flying Feeder in the Underworld) is a symbol of this. The E
do shogunate issued a ban on heart-to-heart affairs, but this did not stop love and death, and the momentary love that burned within the feudal order was deeply engraved in the hearts of the people of Edo.