Harimise - Harimise

Prostitutes line up fully dressed in a special room facing the road next to the entrance of a brothel. Originally, this was a method devised to attract customers by sitting down instead of standing in front of the shop. Therefore, while it was an act to attract customers, the rank of the prostitute and the price of admission were indicated by the seating position and outfit so that it was easy for the customer to select a prostitute. In each brothel, all except the higher-ranking prostitutes would sit down in the evening to wait for customers, and if there were no customers, they would line up until midnight. In Edo Yoshiwara, there were many customers who walked around looking at the hanging stalls. From the mid-Meiji period, this was abolished in Tokyo and other regional brothels, and instead portraits were displayed in front of the storefronts. The "window ladies" of Amsterdam and Hamburg are modern overseas versions of this.

[Yoichi Harashima]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

遊女屋の入口わきの、道路に面して特設された部屋に、遊女が盛装して並ぶこと。もとは店先に立って客を引いたものが、座って誘客するために考案された方法であろう。したがって客を誘うための行為であるが、遊客が遊女を選定するのに便利なように、座る位置や衣装で遊女の等級や揚げ代がわかるようになっていた。各遊女屋では上級妓(ぎ)を除く全員が夕方から席について客を待ち、客がなければ夜12時まで並んでいた。江戸吉原では、張見世を見て歩く素見(ひやかし)客が多かった。明治中期から東京ほか地方の遊廓(ゆうかく)でも廃止され、かわりに店頭に肖像写真を掲げた。アムステルダムやハンブルクの「飾り窓の女」は、これの海外現代版である。

［原島陽一］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例