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70219-0022 - Japanese Prostitutes, 1890s

Tokyo 1890s
Prostitutes in Cage

Artist Unknown
Publisher Unknown
Medium Albumen Print
Period Meiji
Location Tokyo
Image No. 70219-0022
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Author

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).

see current map

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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.

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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 (). Tokyo 1890s: Prostitutes in Cage, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on February 10, 2025 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/420/prostitutes-in-cage

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