Please visit Mr Osada Steve’s website to read the original article in English at

TokyoBound on this link. Enjoy!

Snow

With no regard for human rights, Edo’s pleasure quarters and the institution of slavery created a kind of punishment called snow torture. What we see in theater at the Yamanaya scene from Ake garasu yume no awa yuki* was nothing out of the ordinary at brothels in old times. Now that licensed prostitution is totally abolished, we should be glad that such torture is no longer practiced.

*The kanji characters literally mean “morning crows dream frothy snow”. It was originally the title of a famous song from the Shinnai reciting tradition based on a real story of a couple who committed double suicide. The second half of the song is a detailed description of snow torture. The song was later adapted for various other song traditions and theater forms such as Kabuki.

雪 (yuki)

人權無視奴隷主義の江戸遊廓及び奴制度は雪責といふ私刑を作れり。演劇の舞台に見る『明鳥夢泡雪』山名屋の段の如きは昔時の妓樓に在りては日常さはんじのお行事にして異とするに足らず。今や公娼制度の全廃と共にこのことなし。慶すべし。