Geishas and the Floating World: Inside Tokyo's Yoshiwara Pleasure District

Description

At the heart of the Floating World and the system it supported was an extensive network of talented courtesans and entertainers, typified by the still fascinating, enigmatic Geisha. Stephen and Ethel Longstreet bring the reader on an in-depth tour of the original and most infamous red-light district in Japan-the Yoshiwara district of old Tokyo that underwent tremendous changes during the more than three centuries of its existence. Beyond the erotic allure the district held, the Yoshiwara also fostered a rich culture and a much studied and revered artistic and literary tradition. This account is adorned with examples of fine woodblock prints and quotations from often bawdy, and always colourful, original sources that offer a gripping portrait of life within the pleasure zone. Stephen Mansfield's new introduction bridges time, examining gender realities and the Yoshiwara through contemporary eyes, highlighting often overlooked subtleties and the harsh realities associated with this glittering world.

Stephen Longstreet (1907-2002) was a prolific novelist, screenwriter, cartoonist and artist whose work ranged from gourmet cookbooks to potboiler detective novels to portraits of American jazz greats. He published over 100 books in his lifetime, including the novel The Sisters Liked Them Handsome which was turned into a successful Broadway musical. He also wrote screenplays that were made into films starring Hollywood greats from Ronald Reagan to Errol Flynn. Ethel Longstreet (1909-1999) was the co-author of a number of these books and a frequent lecturer. The Longstreets were avid collectors of rare Japanese prints and drawings, a pursuit that drew them to research and write this book. Introduction By: Stephen Mansfield, an author and freelance photojournalist based in Japan, has contributed to over 60 magazines, newspapers and journals worldwide. His books include Tokyo: A Cultural and Literary History, Japanese Stone Gardens: Origins, Meaning, Form and Japan's Master Gardens.

"Stephen Longstreet is the perfect American to reflect on the Yoshiwara pleasure district. A painter, jazzman, Hollywood screenplay writer, at home in both Saint Germain des Pres's Tabu and Harlem's Cotton Club, he instinctively identifies Yoshiwara as the Chrysanthemum Vie de Boheme as he effortlessly conjures the kaleidoscope of senses which Yoshiwara offered..." -- Asian Review of Books "Geishas and The Floating World really does do a remarkable job of capturing the essence of what life was like for the denizens of the pleasure city." --Yamato Magazine