A Consideration on the Revision of the Shin-Yoshiwara Regulatory Covenant

Abstract

In the Edo period, the foundation of order within the Shin-Yoshiwara pleasure quarter was upheld by the “Shin-Yoshiwara Regulatory Covenant.” This autonomous legal document defined the relationships and norms among brothel owners, teahouses, and courtesans, and the version established in Kansei 7 (1795) remained in use for an extended period. However, as societal conditions evolved, the covenant’s content began to diverge from reality. During the Tenpō Reforms in particular, the integration of unauthorized pleasure quarters and the increase in brothel establishments led to disorder, making the revision of the covenant an urgent necessity.

The Shin-Yoshiwara authorities petitioned the shogunate for approval to revise the covenant, but due to conflicting interests between teahouses and brothels, as well as the shogunate’s passive stance, formal revision was never realized. At this juncture, attention turns to the so-called “Tenpō Regulations.” This paper focuses on the version submitted to the Minami-Machi Magistrate during the Tenpō period, and through analysis of its historical content, concludes—contrary to prior scholarship—that all versions of the regulatory covenant remained valid.

The paper argues that the validity of these covenants offers a critical perspective for understanding the relationship between the shogunate and Shin-Yoshiwara.