Object description

Shimabara was the designated red light district in Kyoto, and was later also a geisha district . Established in 1640, Shimabara, following the outlawing of sex work in Japan became defunct as a red-light district in the 1950s, later becoming defunct as a geisha district in the 1970s. Shimabara continues to operate as a tourist district, however, operating one ochaya and hosting tayū re-enactors.