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70710-0006 - Japanese Prostitutes in Yoshiwara, Tokyo, 1910s

Tokyo 1910s
Yoshiwara Prostitutes

Artist	Unknown
Publisher	Marukiya
Medium	Postcard
Period	Meiji
Location	Tokyo
Image No.	70710-0006
Purchase	Digital File
Author	Kjeld Duits

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 on Yoshiwara, see Tokyo 1910s • Yoshiwara Prostitutes.

see current map

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).

Published June 14, 2008
Updated December 7, 2021 4:59 PM

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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.

To enhance our understanding of Japanese culture and society I track down, acquire, archive, and research images of everyday life, and give them context.

I share what I have found for free on this site, without ads or selling your data.

Your support helps me to continue doing so, and ensures that this exceptional visual heritage will not be lost and forgotten.

Thank you,
Kjeld Duits

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Reference for Citations

Duits, Kjeld (December 7, 2021). Tokyo 1910s: Yoshiwara Prostitutes, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on January 23, 2026 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/271/yoshiwara-prostitutes-3

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People passing through the Omon main gate of the Yoshiwara brothel district in Tokyo, featuring the statue of the goddess Benten.

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Tokyo 1910sYoshiwara Prostitutes