This image is from a Japanese woodblock printed postcard. It is printed in the ukiyo-e style, meaning “pictures of the floating world,” a term describing an urban lifestyle of pleasure and entertainment. It is a genre of historical Japanese art that routinely depicts scenes of everyday life, especially entertainments like kabuki theater and courtesans, alongside landscapes and famous places. This postcard depicts a scene from Yoshiwara, the famous licensed pleasure district of Tokyo, during the Edo period. Yoshiwara was not just a red-light district but also a vibrant cultural center, influencing fashion, theater, and art. The scene portrays both courtesans and clients. Kadoebi (角海老) refers to a specific establishment within the Yoshiwara district, as it was common for prominent establishments to be named in prints depicting the area. This postcard is part of a collection of similar woodblocks that my Great-Aunt Alice acquired, as a nurse in the US Army of Occupation in Japan after WW II.

Over the centuries, thousands of women and girls were condemned to work as prostitutes in Yoshiwara. Prostitution persists there today. It is now illegal but continues by exploiting a legal loophole. Defined as sex between strangers for money, people get around this prohibition by talking for a little while and getting to know each other first. The myth of the geisha is often little more than that for these women. In this era of the Epstein files this postcard is a reminder that bad behavior by powerful men is endemic worldwide and is often camouflaged.