Yoshiwara Hanairi: Kinko raining down on the sleeves of the newly built Kinko, the economic burden of the protrusion that shook Yoshiwara (Late Edo Period)

Yoshiwara Hanairi: Kinko raining down on the sleeves of the newly built Kinko, the economic burden of the protrusion that shook Yoshiwara (Late Edo Period)

The "tsukidashi," the debut of a shinzou, was one of the most flamboyant and expensive ceremonies in Yoshiwara. When a girl who had been raised as a bald girl finally entered the stage of taking customers as a full-fledged prostitute, a series of events from shinzokudashi to tsukidashi were held to publicize her entrance into the world. According to a recent commentary, soba noodles and sekihan (red rice) were distributed inside and outside the brothel, at the Hikitechaya (teahouse), and at the boathouse about 10 days before the new creation, and on the day of the ceremony, kimono and tools were displayed for a grand unveiling, all at the expense of the oiran, the sister prostitute.

When it came to the stage of the first presentation, a more advanced form of "money dissemination" was required. The "Michu-tsukidashi," in which the newly minted actors made their debut by making the rounds of the teahouses to greet them, was especially for promising newly minted actors, and was also a tour of the teahouses to sell their faces to the Hikite teahouses. The often-quoted "kin ichibu" (one gold quarter each) was a congratulatory gift given out at these events. In the Edo monetary system, a kin ibu is equivalent to a quarter of a ryo, which in the common people's sense is often explained as a high unit of money equivalent to about one month's living expenses. The total amount of money was more than a single prostitute could handle, since it was distributed to several parties, including the owner of the teahouse, young men, intermediaries, and geisha.

The Hikite teahouse was not a front for the geisha but a center for sending customers to the geisha houses through "connoisseurship" and personal connections. The teahouse side naturally gave good customers to those who gave out congratulatory gifts often, and were indifferent to those who did not. Therefore, it can be said that the celebration of a tsukidashi was not a mere celebration, but rather an admission fee for the official inclusion of a shinzo into the internal network of Yoshiwara.

The question is the source of these expenses. The cost of fabrics for shinzokudashi and tsukidashi, sweets, soba (buckwheat noodles), and sekihan (red rice), as well as a cash portion of each celebration, were basically paid from the wallets of the oiran, the sister courtesan, and her guests. The oiran is in the position of holding not only herself but also her "family" of shinzo and baku, and is obliged to put on a show in order to maintain the dignity of the family unit. Familiar customers are also considered chic if they are stingy on the oiran's big day, and so they will pay money, much of which ends up on the oiran's books as a new debt.

As Shinzo makes his rounds in Yoshiwara, koban (small oval shaped bills) and bounty money are scattered all over the place, and each piece of money becomes a debt to the oiran and Shinzo's clan. For Shinzo, it was a glorious beginning, but at the same time, it was also "the start of a full-fledged life of debt. From the perspective of Yoshiwara as a whole, the "tsukidashi" was a major advertising campaign to introduce newcomers to the market, and the advertising costs fell squarely on the shoulders of the prostitutes.

As the newcomers walked down the street, their sleeves swaying in the wind and the smell of white powder and incense spreading, behind them hung a number of invisible account slips, along with the smiling faces of the Hikitechaya and the young ones. The gold tithe celebration was not only a golden coin to mark the start of a new prostitute's life, but also a weight that would further deepen the burden of the elder sister's women's clan.