Yoshiwara [Hardcover]

Cecilia Segawa Seigle (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Seigle presents a comprehensive history of Japan's most famous red-light district. Following the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate at Edo in 1604, an influx of womanless Samurai led to the creation of a separate, walled brothel quarter, the Yoshiwara. Seigle (Japanese literature, Univ. of Pennsylvania) points out that many of the early brothel-keepers were ex-Samurai, men dispossessed when their feudal lords were overthrown; and many of the most popular courtesans were the wives and daughters of ruined feudal lords and their Samurai. Historical anecdotes enliven the tale of how Yoshiwara styles of dress, music, and etiquette came to influence the larger society. A readable account of an important institution, which will be enjoyed by informed readers.
- Robert J. Andrews, Duluth P.L., Minn.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 344 pages
• Publisher: University of Hawaii Press (March 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824814886
• ISBN-13: 978-0824814885
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,113,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Book on Edo-Era Culture and Prostitution..., January 15, 2001

By 

Carl Malmstrom (Monument, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Yoshiwara (Hardcover)

For anyone doing serious work on sexuality (Japanese or otherwise), prostitution or Japanese history or even Japanese political culture, "Yoshiwara" is not to be missed. Seigle has written not only a comprehensive, but fascinating and accessable book about the history of the licensed prostitution quarter near (now inside) Tokyo during the Tokugawa Era.

She gives a fascinating (if at times - by necessity - disturbing) look at how sexual politics and popular culture were regulated and maintained during the Tokugawa Shogunate. She gives equal weight to everything from architecture and anecdotes and gives an impressively complete cross-section of life in the district throughout the vast majority of the Yoshiwara's history. The picture she gives is also one that shows rise, evolution and decline of the district in equal importance. Even the cultural impact of the Yoshiwara upon cultural phenomena like style and societal standing are covered in admirable depth.

I have found this book of great use in studies of both Japanese sexuality and urban history. Seigle does a wonderful job of neither romanticizing nor attacking the Yoshiwara, but is (on the whole) content to lay out as complete a history and case study as she can. For any serious student of Japanese history or culture, I recommend not missing this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Readable, prodigious translations and extremely well researched, January 20, 2011

By 

JOHN O'DONNELL (Temporarily in the middle of the Pacific) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yoshiwara (Hardcover)

This is first class scholarship. While dense for its size because it is an academic work (with extensive references, footnotes, glossary and explanatory notes), it is readable with numerous translations and summaries of period works. Highly recommended for anyone looking to go beyond and much deeper than mass medium oriented works like Memoirs of a Geisha.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Badly organized, June 1, 2009

By 

David Stokes - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yoshiwara: The Glittering World of the Japanese Courtesan

Whilst this book does contain a lot of information, it's not all that well organized. There are references in early chapters to terms, practices or events which aren't explained until much later in the book, which can be confusing unless you already have extensive knowledge of the subject. Some areas are just touched upon with no great detail given, and it's easy to get lost when the author moves from one time period to another without explaining changes that were taking place fully. Information about the ranking of courtesans is confusing, and there are a number of inconsistencies in the text. The index doesn't help because it's so limited. Despite talking about the harsh realities of Yoshiwara life, the author talks a fair amount about the women being better off than ordinary Japanese women, happy in ignorance, etc., and the rose-tinted glasses are definitely on some of the time, which was disappointing considering the nature of Yoshiwara life and its dependence on a system of slavery. You need to read this one more than once because of the arrangement of information.