Yoshiwara: The Glittering World of the Japanese Courtesan

Drawing on both historical and literary sources, examines life in the pleasure houses of Japan during the Edo period from the early 1600s to 1868. Among the topics are the origins, illegal competitors, the cost of a visit, the treatment of the courtesans, traditions and protocols, Yoshiwara arts, th

• Cecilia Segawa Seigle, Author

• One of the first extensive Western-language surveys of this vital component of Edo culture. Its value is as great as the influence of the Yoshiwara was pervasive: students of any aspect of early modern urban culture will find much of value in its richly informative chapters... It attracts by its high readability, its engaging blend of factual data, translated anecdote, and paraphrased episode.
  —Journal of Japanese Studies