Established in , 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 [ 1 ] and Shinmachi in Osaka.
In , due to the need for space as the city grew, the government decided to relocate Yoshiwara, with plans being made to move the district to its present location north of Asakusa on the outskirts of the city.
Having been established some decades earlier, the original Yoshiwara district burned down, along with much of the city, in the Great fire of Meireki of ; it was then rebuilt in its new location, named 'Shin Yoshiwara' 'New Yoshiwara' , the old location being known as 'Moto Yoshiwara' 'Original Yoshiwara' , though the moniker of 'new' was eventually dropped, with the rebuilt district becoming known simply as Yoshiwara.
Yoshiwara was home to some 1, women in the 18th century, with records of some 3, women from all over Japan at one time. Many were typically indentured to their brothel; if indentured by their parents, a larger advance payment would often be received. Though contracts of indenture often did not last more than five to ten years, the debt sometimes accrued by these women could keep them working there for much longer. However, a significant number either served out their contracts and married a client, went into other employment including other forms of prostitution , or returned to their family homes.
In these cases, the advanced payments a woman's parents received could be used to fund her dowry. If chosen to receive the correct training at a young age, a girl indentured to a brothel could become an apprentice to a high-ranking courtesan; when the girl was old enough and had completed her training, she would become a courtesan herself and work her way up the ranks.
