This ca.1890s image of caged prostitutes being gawked at does not exist in Japan anymore. However, there are PLENTY of places in Japan today where, like Amsterdam in Holland, the women willingly put themselves on decorative display in whole districts dedicated to their trade. However, the circumstances surrounding the entry of adult women into modern day Japanese prostitution is a far cry from the social and cultural situation that put these women into their cages during the time of this photograph.
Obviously, the cage is a cage only by contract and understanding. The thin, wooden bars can be easily broken, but the symbolism of the barricade stands for the agreed-upon social structures that cannot be broken --- the cage is the culture itself.
Though these women are "of age", their presence in the cage did not begin as an adult "career choice" to pursue prostitution as a means to help their families (or themselves). Rather, these choices were made for them at tender ages (many at ages 5 to 7) when the nature of what they were being "sold into" was beyond their understanding.
What you see in the photograph is simply the end result of socially structured and approved CHILD PROSTITUTION. Therefore, any discussion of the adult women and their position in the cage begins with and includes a discussion of CHILD PROSTITUTION and CHILD RAPE.....either in absolute legal terms, or in terms considered by some to be ethically subjective outcomes of time-place and culture.
Ca.1890-1900. Of the many views that show Caged Prostitutes in Japan, this is perhaps the most interesting. When showing it to friends in Japan, they explained it to me this way.........
(1) The prospective customer --- seen here with his pipe --- gawks at the inmates until he settles on whoever turns him on.
(2) He lights the long tobacco pipe in his hand, and passes it through the bars to her.
(3) If her feminine sixth sense tells her he will probably be OK (and NOT some Sado-masochist who will smack her around and beat the crap out of her), she will
(4) take a puff on his pipe as a sign she will accept his temporary patronage, and then
(5) pass the pipe back through the bars to him to seal the deal.
(6) He finishes in 2 minutes [well, Ok...5 minutes], while she pretends to have an orgasm.
And you probably thought only the Native American Indians with their "Peace Pipes" did business like this.
Popular with Foreigners, the Girls of [NECTARINE No.9, a Yokohama Brothel] were often photographed by any number of photographers who sought to make money selling their images not only to the sailors, businessmen, and adventurers who visited, but also to the likes of Missionaries -- they were good illustrations of "The Immorality of Japanese Society" to be used in Magic Lantern shows given to the Churches back home. Of course, the Japanese had their own ideas about the equal immorality (in their eyes) of Western Society.
OIRAN -- The Highest Order of Japanese Prostitute, JAPAN'S QUEEN OF SEX. Ca. 1870s-80s. Well, here she is. Some folks prefer to describe her using the relatively polite word "Courtesan", which is actually a euphemism for "DAMN EXPENSIVE PROSTITUTE" here in Japan -- the Western term "Courtesan" being a slightly inaccurate job description for these high-octane Yoshiwara Girls. This is one of two old photos I've posted [with the exact same caption] to give a general idea of what an Oiran looks like...so you can spot them in other old photos, and NOT CONFUSE THEM WITH A GEISHA GIRL. A Geisha Girl would go ballistic if you confused her with an OIRAN.
The quickest way to tell if a girl is an OIRAN is to check out what her hair-dresser did to her...as in the photo above. You will immediately notice the accumulation of shoe-horns, knitting needles, back-scratchers, chopsticks, scrap lumber, railroad spikes, pick-up-sticks, Lincoln Logs, and chunks of old roof shingles poking out from her hair in every direction. Like stars on a General's uniform, this is a sign of her high rank.....AND her popularity with the men. Satisfied repeat customers were off the scale and kept her busy. New customers of any means had to wait their turn to find out what all the buzz was about.
SHOW ME THE OBI ! The Prostitutes of NECTARINE No.9. This is not a clear shot, and the faces are fuzzy. However, I am NOT posting it as a "pick-your-favorite-girl advertising brochure". (The Yokohama VD Clinic is just down the street).
I probably have better shots of the same thing, but this was the quickest one to grab and scan. THE PURPOSE is to show you --- in one fell swoop --- fourteen prostitutes from one of Yokohama's most famous brothels, all with their BOWS TIED IN FRONT.
The reason for this is obvious, as they had to tie and un-tie the sash-like "Magic Obi" several times a day. This also meant that they did not bother with the much longer and heavier Obi wrappings worn by the Geisha and other "normal women", These prostitutes also had no need for the rounds of cord-rope that all other women used for fixing the classic Kimono. Further, the prostitute's Kimonos, once untied, granted "easy access" through what scant undergarments they wore. (However, this ease-of-entry did not apply to the fantastic Kimonos of the high-class Oiran and Tayuu prostitutes)
[...]
As for the slightly fuzzy women in this image, two stand out as "unique" : The third from the RIGHT is the only one with her hair down, and the fifth from the LEFT looks to be in her fifties -- even more so under a 'scope. Some customers liked the older, more experienced women. But it is extremely rare to see such an elderly prostitute in full garb posing in a photograph with younger girls.
Now here's a line-up any Vice Squad would love ! However in Japan, prostitution was completely legal. It was controlled, and protected by both Government and Police, whose lower-lever bureaucrats probably formed a fair part of the clientèle.
Unfortunately (by western standards) the kimono-clad girls in the picture are not here by "choice" (playful or otherwise) like most girls found at the modern-day "Mustang Ranch" type of cat-houses found in certain Western nations. Quite the opposite, these girls were most likely sold to this place at a young age by their father, with the entire family's understanding. The girl endured with a sense of obligation that formed a part of the social structure at the time. In other words, these young Japanese girls were not "Hookers" -- to the contrary, they were the ones "Hooked" and pushed into this profession without choice at the will and direction of (and in obedience to) their own fathers and family.
Via The Lower Half
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