2023 Volume 21 Issue 4 Pages 402-407
“Kagai” is a precious entertainment district that succeeds traditional Japanese culture. The purpose of this study is to identify some of the national trends in the establishment of modern Kagai. For this purpose, we will attempt to categorize the period when geisha-centered Kagai were established and the transition in the nature of the districts leading up to their establishment. Major results are as fillows. 1) Modern Kagai were often established during the Meiji period (1868-1912) throughout Japan. 2) In Tokyo, many of the patterns were established from the Edo period (1603-1868) to the Taisho period (1912-1926) as geisha-centered Kagai from the beginning. 3) In local cities, brothels were formed in the suburbs as a measure to separate geisha and prostitutes during the Meiji period (1868-1912), and a pattern of a shift from mixed geisha and prostitutes to geisha-centered Kagai was observed in a wide area.
