from Early Modern Japanese Literature 1600-1900, edited by Haruo Shirane
“From around the Genna era (1615-1624), the bakufu gave permission for the construction of particular licensed theaters, which led to the development of the two “bad places” (akusho): the theater district and the licensed pleasure quarters. The bakufu, whose first priority was to uphold the social order and public security, designated the “bad places” as spaces of controlled release (nagusami), where citizens’ excess energy could be channeled and where it was understood thate there would be no criticism of the existing order. Those who went into these “bad places” entered an intoxicating, out-of-the-ordinary, festival-like world where the line between reality and dream was blurred.”
Raise your hand if your immediate response was, please can we go there right now?
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