The Meguri of the flower calendar and the time set up Annual events and daily devises in Yoshiwara (Edo period)

The Meguri of the flower calendar and the time set up Annual events and daily devises in Yoshiwara (Edo period)

As an entertainment district officially recognized by the shogunate, the Yoshiwara amusement quarters of the Edo period played a role in urban culture that went beyond mere pleasure spots. The annual events of the four seasons were elaborately incorporated as inducements to attract customers, forming a cycle that united time and economy in Yoshiwara. New costumes and first ceremonies were prepared for New Year's, cherry blossoms at night in spring, Noryo in summer, Sekku in autumn, and soot clearing in winter, and the seasonal performances continued uninterruptedly. These events not only added color to daily life, but also served as a mechanism to maintain the relationship between customers and prostitutes.

At that time, Edo was a huge city with a population of over one million, and as the culture of the townspeople matured, the entire society shared a sense of enjoying annual events and seasons. Yoshiwara skillfully captured this sense and commercialized seasonal changes to attract more customers. Customers visited the same prostitutes season after season, savoring the differences in costume, makeup, and manners as they deepened their relationships.

In the evening, parties were held in the tatami room, and the courtesans' gestures and costumes functioned as visual effects. There was also a practice of raising prices on the day of the crest, and the annual events also worked as a device to increase profits. Through these mechanisms, Yoshiwara overlapped the cycles of time and economy and continued to exist as a unique cultural industry that supported the city's entertainment economy.