In 1621, a brothel owner wrote a petition to the Japanese shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. He made an argument that if a “red light district” was established in Edo (the city that later became Tokyo), it would be beneficial to everyone. The shogunate agreed, and not surprisingly, the owner of the brothel was appointed as the owner of the new recreation area.
Yoshiwara means “reed field” because it was basically built on a drained swamp and was completed in 1626. From the opening of the gate until the area was closed by the government in 1959, Yoshiwara was still the legendary pornographic version of Disney World (Disney World) suitable for rich and energetic adult gentlemen, not itchy. But for women working there, this is a prison they cannot escape.
A long, thick, somewhat bumpy vegetable, the wild mountain yam was sold to housewives to prepare for their family’s dinner. But it had another use: it would also be sold, at request, to gentlemen visiting Yoshiwara. While in “cheap hells”—low class brothels—a patron would take his pleasure and depart, in the higher class establishments, a man was expected to satisfy the courtesan as well as himself. Not doing so was uncouth. However, on those occasions when his ardor proved unable or inadequate, the yamaimo was conveniently at hand. Like many species of yam, the yamaimo is brittle, with a tendency to snap at inconvenient times – and in inconvenient places – if plied too vigorously. Other materials used as sex aides of this type included cow horns, water buffalo horns, tortoiseshell, papier mâché, ivory, and bone. Speaking of bone …
