Kinko raining down on the sleeves of shinzou, the economic burden of tsukidashi that rocked Yoshiwara (late Edo period)

Kinko raining down on the sleeves of shinzou, the economic burden of tsukidashi that rocked Yoshiwara (late Edo period)
The tsukidashi, the debut of a shinzo, was one of the most flamboyant and costly ceremonies in Yoshiwara. When a girl who had been raised as a bald girl entered the stage of taking customers as a full-fledged furisode shinzou, the purpose was to announce her entrance to the whole of Yoshiwara and to show the prestige of the oiran clan. Recent documents clearly show the enormous expense involved in the preparations, including the distribution of soba noodles and sekihan (red rice), and the presentation of fabrics and utensils, even before the shinzokudashi.

On the day of the tsukidashi, it was customary for the shinzo to make the rounds of the Hikitechaya, geisha, and young people to greet them and hand out gifts in the amount of one gold quarter each. One gold quarter was a large amount of money, equivalent to the monthly income of a commoner, and since it was distributed to several places, the total amount was extremely large. Hikitechaya was the key to attracting customers to Yoshiwara, and if they did not lavishly hand out congratulatory gifts to the teahouses, they would not be able to attract good customers in the future, and the prospects of Shinzo becoming popular would diminish. The gift was not just a gift, but a business expense that would determine the future of Shinzo.

However, it was the oiran clan, not the brothel, that bore the cost. In addition to the cost of costumes and education for the shinzo and bald girls, even the congratulatory money for their debut ceremonies was added to the ledger as an attachment on the part of the oiran. The oiran were treated like the "patriarchs of the clan," forced to look good in order to maintain their prestige, and their customers paid money to show their stylishness, but most of the money went to the oiran's debts.

The "tsukidashi" was a glorious start to a new career, but at the same time, it was a burden that increased the debt of the oirishiki. In the huge industry of Yoshiwara, the tsukidashi played the role of an advertisement to introduce newcomers to the market, and the cost of the advertisement was borne by the prostitutes. Behind the glamorous procession, there was always the sound of the gold coins scattered as a congratulatory gift and their recording in the ledger.