Abstract

The exhibition “Yūkaku – Love District” aims to analyze the complex relationship between the legacy of the past and contemporaneity in the area of Yoshiwara, the historic pleasure district of Edo (the former name of Tokyo). Yoshiwara, established in 1617, was the first red-light district officially authorized by the Japanese government at a time when prostitution was legal in Japan. Originally located in the area now known as Nihonbashi/Ningyōchō, it was renamed Shin-Yoshiwara (New Yoshiwara) and relocated to its current site north of Asakusa following a series of urban redevelopment efforts and the great Meireki fire in 1657. The Yoshiwara area was enclosed by a wooden wall, surrounded by a moat, and access was only possible through specific authorized gates. Guards worked in shifts to ensure the entrances were never left unattended; they enforced the rules strictly, requiring visitors to surrender their swords at the gate and, most importantly, carefully ensuring that none of the prostitutes, who were forced to live within Yoshiwara, left without proper documentation. For the men who frequented it, the yūkaku (遊廓, literally “entertainment district”) represented an escape from everyday life. Luxurious teahouses, cultured geisha, charming courtesans, and endless nights of pleasure… these elements helped create a fantastical realm that for decades fueled men's fantasies. Until the end of the 18th century, Yoshiwara was also a thriving cultural hub: artists like Harunobu, Hiroshige, and Utamaro immortalized it through visual art, while writers such as Ihara Saikaku and Santō Kyōden helped shape and crystallize its idealized image as a world of pure hedonism. At the same time, however, for the thousands of women forced to live and work within its walls, Yoshiwara was anything but a paradise. Malnutrition, grueling work shifts, and endemic sexually transmitted diseases were the harsh realities—an often-forgotten dark side of the yūkaku ignored by official narratives. And today, what remains of Yoshiwara? Yoshiwara appears as a relic of a bygone era struggling to adapt to contemporary needs. Very old and damaged buildings, closed businesses, and a sex entertainment industry that has lost its allure and is now considered outdated. Like the rest of the country, the district faces a broader economic crisis and a decline in its sex industry. No longer the vibrant heart of the cultural world, Yoshiwara’s former splendor is a distant memory, replaced by the harsh reality of economic and social decline. Unfortunately, when speaking of Yoshiwara, the focus tends to remain solely on what the district was during the Edo period (1603–1868), ignoring contemporary issues. Continuing to promote the district based on its “glorious” past prevents the development of a critical discourse about Yoshiwara and its legacy, thereby marginalizing the current reality of the place and its people. This exhibition, therefore, structured ideally into four sections, seeks to ethically navigate the complexities of the yūkaku. While not forgetting the voices of the women exploited over the centuries for male pleasure, it aims to present the contemporary Yoshiwara to the public, its challenges, and to start a discussion on how to ethically integrate the legacy of the past into today’s reality. The first section, Details, draws visitors’ attention to certain aspects of Yoshiwara’s past that, more or less metaphorically, can still be found today. The second section, Iromachi, focuses on the word “iromachi” (色町, literally “town of colors”), another term used for a red-light district, highlighting the daily life of Yoshiwara and its contrasts. The third section, Neonmachi – Neon Lights City, aims to allow visitors to experience, through images, Yoshiwara’s sex industry as it appears today, featuring establishments with a démodé atmosphere and a declining clientele. The fourth section, Past & Present, openly engages with the legacy of the past, juxtaposing ancient depictions of the glorious yūkaku, its splendor and grandeur, with the reality of the current economic recession and decline. This exhibition is part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Horizon Europe Project “Japan PSBL” (DOI: 10.3030/101106521), funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the REA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them).