Those Who Sleep at the Edge of the Red-Light District: Jōkan-ji Temple and the Memories of Yoshiwara Courtesans—From the Late Edo Period to the Present

Jōkan-ji Temple, located in Minami-Senju, Arakawa Ward, Tokyo, is known as the burial ground for courtesans who died in the Yoshiwara red-light district and has long been called the “Tōkon-ji” (Temple of the Cast-In). In particular, during the Ansei Edo Earthquake of Ansei 2 (1855), there were numerous fatalities in Yoshiwara, and the deceased courtesans were buried at Jōkan-ji. Documents from Arakawa Ward also describe it as the temple where courtesans from Shin-Yoshiwara who perished in the Great Ansei Earthquake were laid to rest. *Yoshiwara Taihen*, a record of the damage at that time, lists the names of the deceased courtesans by brothel and also contains records regarding Jōkan-ji Temple and the Muen-tō (Tower of the Nameless). Behind the image of Yoshiwara—often portrayed through its glamorous costumes and revelry—lay women who died from illness, disasters, poverty, or because they had no family to care for them. Within the temple grounds stands the Shin-Yoshiwara General Memorial Stupa, erected to honor these souls; it is currently designated as a Tangible Cultural Property of Arakawa Ward. Furthermore, Jōkan-ji has deep ties to the literary figure Kafū Nagai, and in later generations, it became a literary and historical site for reflecting on Yoshiwara and the concept of “death without kin.” Jōkan-ji is a place that conveys to the present day the lives and deaths of women who were rarely seen on Yoshiwara’s glamorous public stage. It is an indispensable temple for reflecting on the history of Yoshiwara, not only because it beautifully recounts the culture of the red-light district but also because it commemorates and honors those who lived and died in its shadows.