Japanese prostitutes behind a window in the Yukaku (red light district) of Yoshiwara in Tokyo.
Prostitutes from less expensive brothels were seated behind wooden latticed windows called harimise (張り見世). As a result of intense international pressure, putting prostitutes on display in harimise was prohibited in 1916.
For more information about how Yoshiwara worked, read Tokyo 1910s • Yoshiwara Prostitutes and Tokyo 1900s • Yoshiwara Omon.
Click Prostitution in the Themes menu to see all photos of prostitution in Japan.
As it is unclear at which brothel this photo was shot, the Google Map below shows the location of the former entrance gate, the Omon (大門), located in current-day Senzoku 4-chome, Taito-ku (台東区千束4丁目).
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Old Photos of Japan aims to be your personal museum for Japan's visual heritage and to bring the experiences of everyday life in old Japan to you.
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Kjeld Duits
Reference for Citations
Duits, Kjeld (). Tokyo 1890s: Prostitutes in Cage, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on May 18, 2026 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/420/prostitutes-in-cage
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