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
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 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

Published September 28, 2008
Updated December 7, 2021 2:58 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 1890s: Prostitutes in Cage, OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN. Retrieved on November 1, 2025 (GMT) from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/420/prostitutes-in-cage

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Tokyo 1890sProstitutes in Cage