Conversation with only a hint of the presence that fills Yoshiwara around the time the lanterns sway at the Ox's Hour (Late Edo Period)

Conversation with only a hint of the presence that fills Yoshiwara around the time the lanterns sway at the Ox's Hour (Late Edo Period)
Around 2:00 a.m., the time of the Ox, Yoshiwara was the most profoundly silent time of the day. Customers and prostitutes were all asleep, the sound of the shamisen had died down, and only the flickering light of the lanterns remained in the corridors. During this time, young patrolling officers, known as "suspicious guards," slowly made their rounds, oiled the lanterns to keep them lit, and prevented the unkempt lighting of bedtime cigarettes, theft, and other disturbances. Since Yoshiwara was densely built with wooden buildings, fire was always the biggest threat, and the late-night patrols were an important system to support the safety of the entire district.
During these patrols, a courtesan would sometimes call out to the oiran through the curtain paper, "Are you there? These brief words, such as "Are you there?" or "Take care of the fire," were more like subtle responses to confirm each other's presence than a conversation. In the brothels late at night, words are exchanged in a reserved manner, almost as a sign. The prostitutes were unable to sleep completely, and were in a state of shallow sleep and awakening in preparation for sudden calls or work.
The shadows behind the curtain paper, the slender light from the lanterns, the faint clinking of metal fittings. Such trivial signs were what made up Yoshiwara at the time of the Ox and the Three-Year-Old. The Yoshiwara Hosomi and Morisada Manuscripts also describe late-night patrols and warnings against fires, and Ukiyoe depict a brothel where only the guard and the lanterns remain. In contrast to the glamorous night, in this quiet darkness, there breathed a small but solid tension and solidarity shared by the prostitutes and the watchmen.