Shadows Falling on the Wallets of the Yoshiwara Women: The Reality of Living on 8 Yen a Month in Yoshiwara (Late Edo Period)

Shadows Falling on the Wallets of the Yoshiwara Women: The Reality of Living on 8 Yen a Month in Yoshiwara (Late Edo Period)
Despite the glamorous world of Yoshiwara, prostitutes were forced to spend as much as 8 yen per month just for daily living expenses, and were chronically in debt. The eight yen was far more than the monthly income of the average person at the time, and the amount snowballed as food, laundry, hairdressing, cosmetics, medical expenses, etc., were all added to the ledger. In particular, hair dressing was an almost daily necessity, and a prostitute had to call in a specialist to tie her complicated Yoshiwara topknot, while cosmetics had to be made with expensive white powder and rouge, or else their value would decline.

Many prostitutes had debts from the time they sold themselves, and from the time they were bald, the cost of food, clothing, shelter, and training in the arts had all accumulated as debts. They were prone to illness and often called doctors for venereal diseases and gynecological problems, and the cost of house calls and medicines were also added to their debts. Even though the ten year term was said to be ten years, in reality it was extended by new debts due to the deficit in living expenses, making it difficult to get out. The world of Yoshiwara, where prostitutes had to bear a large amount of expenses to maintain its glamour, was in fact a huge industry that supported the city's economy, and the prostitutes' debts and labor were the foundation of this industry.

The figure of 8 yen per month is far from giving the impression that prostitutes were enjoying luxury, but it indicates that the system itself was a structural exploitation that drove prostitutes into debt. Behind the gorgeous costumes and behavior, there existed the quiet plight of the women working as bookkeepers and prostitutes who had no other choice but to continue working.