Red Light District... Japan...

[5fish]

During Tokugawa's reign what some call the first Red Light District in Japan in Edo(Tokyo) in the 17th century was created. The story behind it... The district was called Yoshiwara nicknamed "Floating World"...

Sex Work during the Tokugawa Era

"Sex Work during the Tokugawa Era" published on by Oxford University Press.

oxfordre.com

The impetus for the establishment of the first licensed district in Edo came not from within the shogunal administration but from a brothel owner by the name of Shōji Jin’emon (or Jinnai) in the form of a petition in 1612. By then three sections of the new capital were home to clusters of bordellos, and lone or paired brothels dotted the city as well. In his appeal, Jin’emon referenced this dispersion and claimed that it was “detrimental to public morality and welfare.” Elaborating on that statement, he said that the current lack of regulation allowed a visitor to spend hours and even days on end at a brothel, resulting in “neglect of duty toward masters, defalcations, theft, etc.” and enabled disreputable and even criminal elements to find places where they could hide from family and public officials. The demand for prostitutes also fueled the kidnapping and adoption of young girls with the intent to force them into sex work. Jin’emon postulated that the relocation of all Edo brothels to a single area would enable the shogunate to prevent such troublesome activities. To lend credence to that claim and likely to make his proposition more appealing, he pledged the cooperation of brothel owners in keeping an eye open and reporting nefarious characters to the authorities.6

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshiwara

Yoshiwara (吉原) was a famous yūkaku (red-light district) in Edo, present-day Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1617, Yoshiwara was one of three licensed and well-known red-light districts created during the early 17th century by the Tokugawa shogunate, alongside Shimabara in Kyoto in 1640[1] and Shinmachi in Osaka.[1]

 

[5fish]

The Japanese always have order...

Oiran - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Oiran (花魁) is a collective term for the highest-ranking courtesans in Japanese history, who were considered to be above common prostitutes (known as yūjo (遊女, lit. 'woman of pleasure')) for their more refined entertainment skills and training in the traditional arts. Divided into a number of ranks within this category, the highest rank of oiran were the tayū, who were considered to be set apart from other oiran due to their intensive training in the traditional arts and the fact that they lived and worked in Kyoto, the political capital of Japan, which remained the cultural heart of the country when the seat of political power moved to Tokyo.[1] Though oiran by definition also engaged in prostitution, higher-ranking oiran had a degree of choice in which customers they took; tayū, in contrast, did not engage in sex work at all.[2][failed verification]

The term oiran originated in Yoshiwara, the red light district of Edo in the 1750s, and is applied to all ranks of high level courtesans in historical Japan.[3]

Geisha - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Geisha (芸者) (/ˈɡeɪʃə/; Japanese: [ɡeːɕa]),[1][2] also known as geiko (芸子) (in Kyoto and Kanazawa) or geigi (芸妓), are female Japanese performing artists and entertainers trained in traditional Japanese performing arts styles, such as dance, music and singing, as well as being proficient conversationalists and hosts. Their distinct appearance is characterized by long, trailing kimono, traditional hairstyles and oshiroi make-up. Geisha entertains at parties known as ozashiki, often for the entertainment of wealthy clientele, as well as performing on stage and at festivals.

The first female geisha appeared in 1751, with geisha before that time being male performers who entertained guests. Only later did the profession become mainly characterized by female workers.

 

[rittmeister]

the wall to the left is the city wall of nürnberg (nuremberg to americans) called frauentormauer (that got nothing to do with the 'industry') the place has been continously used for selling sex since at least 1381

 

[5fish]

In the Medieval Ages, German-speaking people embraced Frauenhäuser. @rittmeister , @Wehrkraftzersetzer

Prostitution in the Medieval City - Medievalists.net

Prostitution was a vice that was was considered a necessary evil because of "men’s lust". Ecclesiastics felt that if brothels weren’t available to men in cities, they would find other inappropriate outlets for their entertainment. In an effort to curb potential problems, civic officials...

www.medievalists.net

'.

Prostitution was a vice that was considered a necessary evil in the Middle Ages because it was a means to curb “men’s lust”. E

Professor Michael M. Hammer (Institut für Geschichte, Universität Graz), spoke about the regulation of prostitution in Late Medieval and Early Modern Austria. Municipal authorities recognised the usefulness of prostitution in the Late Middle Ages and capitalised on making profits from brothels. They were termed “Frauenhaus”, roughly translated as, ‘House for Common Women’.

In 1472, the Council of Bolzano established a brothel for the ‘gutted Fräulein’ to live and to avoid a greater evil, as outlined by Augustine. Brothels in Bolzano were located near the hangman’s house, or on the margins of the city, much like prostitutes were relegated to the margins of society. The annual rent was £70 and each Frauenhaus held about 12-13 prostitutes. The brothel keeper changed on average every two years but this could be a longer or shorter period.

Prostitution in Germany - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Middle Ages to Confederation (1815)[edit]
Sex work in historically German lands has never been outlawed and has been described since the Middle Ages. Since the 13th century, several German cities operated brothels known as Frauenhäuser ("women's houses"); [4] the practice of sex work was considered a necessary evil, a position already held by Saint Augustine (354–430). Some municipalities actively encouraged it and far from existing on the margins, sex workers were often honored guests, who maintained domestic order as an outlet and lesser evil to such things as adultery and rape.[5] The city also gained tax revenues from the prostitutes.

Emperor Sigismund (1368–1437) thanked the city of Konstanz in writing for providing some 1,500 workers for the Council of Constance which took place from 1414 to 1418.[6]

Sex workers were more vigorously persecuted beginning in the 16th century, with the start of the Reformation and the appearance of syphilis. In 1530, Charles V ordered the closure of brothels throughout the German Holy Roman Empire.[7]

Section 999 of the 1794 General State Laws for the Prussian States determined that "dissolute female persons who want to do business with their bodies ... would have to go into the whoredom houses tolerated under the supervision of the state"

 

[5fish]

It seems the Medieval Ages had some positive attitude towards Cat Houses because they wanted the tax dollars and St, Augustine did support the profession.

Decameron Web | Society

The Middle Ages in Europe witnessed a universal paradox of tolerance and condemnation with regards to prostitution. While technically a sin (because it hinged on the act of fornication), prostitution was recognized by the church and others as a necessary, or "lesser evil" (Karras, 246). It was accepted as fact that young men would seek out sexual relations regardless of their options, and thus prostitution served to protect "respectable" townswomen from seduction and even rape. In 1358, the Grand Council of Venice declared that prostitution was "absolutely indispensable to the world" (Richards, 125). In general, declarations proclaiming the necessity of prostitution were not quite so enthusiastic. Indeed, the church did not hesitate to denounce prostitution as morally wrong, but as St. Augustine explained: "If you expel prostitution from society, you will unsettle everything on account of lusts" (Richards, 118). Thus, the general tolerance of prostitution was for the most part reluctant, and many canonists urged prostitutes to reform, either by marrying or by becoming nuns. In fact, there were many religious sanctuaries set up specifically for prostitutes who wished to quit the profession (Bullough, 183).

Many cities decided to take advantage of the situation and earn a little money, setting up municipal brothels with laws and restrictions prohibiting beatings of the prostitutes by brothel keepers, restricting the number of customers a prostitute might entertain in one day, and of course demanding a certain percentage of all earnings (Karras, 246). In 1403, about forty years after ending a long policy of expulsion, the municipal government in Venice established its own brothel in the Rialto, which has since become the traditional center of prostitution in the city. Later, there were attempts to set up other brothels, but this only led to more expulsions in order to regulate the trade and finally to strict compromises between these businesses and the church (Richards, 125-126).

 

[Wehrkraftzersetzer]

In the Medieval Ages, German-speaking people embraced Frauenhäuser. @rittmeister , @Wehrkraftzersetzer

Prostitution in the Medieval City - Medievalists.net

Prostitution was a vice that was was considered a necessary evil because of "men’s lust". Ecclesiastics felt that if brothels weren’t available to men in cities, they would find other inappropriate outlets for their entertainment. In an effort to curb potential problems, civic officials...

www.medievalists.net

'.

Prostitution was a vice that was considered a necessary evil in the Middle Ages because it was a means to curb “men’s lust”. E

Professor Michael M. Hammer (Institut für Geschichte, Universität Graz), spoke about the regulation of prostitution in Late Medieval and Early Modern Austria. Municipal authorities recognised the usefulness of prostitution in the Late Middle Ages and capitalised on making profits from brothels. They were termed “Frauenhaus”, roughly translated as, ‘House for Common Women’.

In 1472, the Council of Bolzano established a brothel for the ‘gutted Fräulein’ to live and to avoid a greater evil, as outlined by Augustine. Brothels in Bolzano were located near the hangman’s house, or on the margins of the city, much like prostitutes were relegated to the margins of society. The annual rent was £70 and each Frauenhaus held about 12-13 prostitutes. The brothel keeper changed on average every two years but this could be a longer or shorter period.

Prostitution in Germany - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Middle Ages to Confederation (1815)[edit]
Sex work in historically German lands has never been outlawed and has been described since the Middle Ages. Since the 13th century, several German cities operated brothels known as Frauenhäuser ("women's houses"); [4] the practice of sex work was considered a necessary evil, a position already held by Saint Augustine (354–430). Some municipalities actively encouraged it and far from existing on the margins, sex workers were often honored guests, who maintained domestic order as an outlet and lesser evil to such things as adultery and rape.[5] The city also gained tax revenues from the prostitutes.

Emperor Sigismund (1368–1437) thanked the city of Konstanz in writing for providing some 1,500 workers for the Council of Constance which took place from 1414 to 1418.[6]

Sex workers were more vigorously persecuted beginning in the 16th century, with the start of the Reformation and the appearance of syphilis. In 1530, Charles V ordered the closure of brothels throughout the German Holy Roman Empire.[7]

Section 999 of the 1794 General State Laws for the Prussian States determined that "dissolute female persons who want to do business with their bodies ... would have to go into the whoredom houses tolerated under the supervision of the state"

also Badehäuser (public Bath) and öffentlich Häuser (public Houses)

 

[5fish]

A queer sex worker in Medieval England...