Yoshiwara Read online

Mother is pleasantly slapping. 'Uta, you've mastered The Night Butterfly just as well as Kaoru before her own ceremonial performance. I can hardly wait for you to perform it at an evening that will turn you from a girl into a real woman with skills.'

  Kaoru looked at me with a smile. 'Uta is my best apprentice.'

  Mother retorted, 'Uta is your only apprentice.'

  'Hopefully, I will be proud of the other ones as well.'

  I made a few steps toward Mother. 'Have you found out when the ceremony would take place?'

  'We are still waiting for the news from the Great House - the only important thing now is for you to be fully ready, and seems to me that it wouldn't be a problem for you even if they would notify us that it takes place in a few moments,' she joked.

  I tried to sound modest. 'Thank you, Mother, for having such kind words for me.'

  'My princesses...' She would call us that from affection sometimes, 'your bath awaits.'

  On the ground floor of the house, there's a room with a buried circular bathtub slightly larger than my bed. Of course, the entrance door of the room is sliding panels. This bathroom served primarily for clients who preferred their entertainment to be in the water. Nevertheless, Mother always allows us to use its relaxing effects during our free time, and when it isn't occupied.

  Hana poured the scented salt into the water, adding a handful of rose petals. She wanted to create a romantic atmosphere wherever she came.

  Warm water is pleasing. I'm feeling the tension leaving those strained muscles already, my body really relaxing in this bath of added scent. Hana was playing with the petals when Kaoru appeared in a yukata. She untied herself, spreading her arms slightly, letting the fabric slide off her shoulders. It seems like a pose for one of the potential guests with a full bag of golden coins.

  Every time Kaoru gets disrobed, I would feel a little envious of her breasts. They are probably three times bigger than mine if I had estimated it correctly. I lowered my head looking at the flat chest. There is still time for growth, Utano always comforted me saying that she only got breasts at my age. I can dance more beautifully than all the other girls during my ceremonial evening, but who will buy me when they see them. Two small, barely visible cherries on the chest.

  'One of those days, these breasts will break my tired back. Ah, this hot water - lifting that burden from me.' She complained to Hana about the size of her breasts.

  Hana answered with a smile, 'If it weren't for them, maybe those clients wouldn't be so generous with the tips.'

  Kaoru tossed her head back confidently, closed eyes, and added in a seductive tone, 'If you weren't so good at using them Hana, the golden coins under my futon wouldn't be chafing me so much while I sleep.'

  Are they practicing those choreographies even when nobody's looking, I ask myself seeing Hanas cheeks redness, her blush reaching to her neck, then more down below until the blurry water hasn't blocked my view. Kaoru directed her attention to me. 'You have a free evening Uta, by me. One special client is coming tonight. She prefers discrete intimacy. I will try to get out of her some rumors from the Great House about the performance of young girls, debutants - I can see you're getting nervous.'

  Hana added, 'It's strange that they are prolonging it this much. Usually, the ceremony would take place before the cherry blossoms.'

  Kaoru immersed under the water, making several bubbles, then emerged. 'I heard they've been waiting for a new Madam - she needs to step over the threshold every moment now. It's all that can be heard in the Great House these days. As I said before, if I'm in luck tonight Uta, I'll surprise you with new information in the morning.'

  Hana approached Kaoru, shifting the wisp from her ear, leaning over whispering, 'Press that special lady of yours before the bliss like you've shown me - last night...'

  Kaoru lowered her hand to the blurry water. 'Like this, Hana?'

  She twitched angrily, and said, 'What are you doing!'

  'You're tempting me... Hana...'

  The two of them are always playing cats and mice. I decided that I had enough excitement for today. I left them in the water with their games.

  They both came to our house two summers before me. Hana is an orphan like me. Being in Yoshiwara since she could remember, but Kaoru has a different story. She comes from a modest farming family. Her father sold her for just a handful of gold when she was ten summers old. That amount Kaoru earns in client's lap during two afternoons nowadays.

  Here the topics of our origins are almost forbidden. It is an unwritten rule to talk about it only in great need. Something like that rarely happens. Our family is under this roof, unlike the one that brought us to this world - that is the attitude of every Yoshiwara household about our past lives. History is erased upon arrival here. We all become equals, walking the same path of these dusty streets.

  Yoshiwara is a well-known settlement in the whole world. It counts around two hundred houses, divided into two sections according to the clients' gender - male and female. We are a particular part of the district, consisting only of fifty houses.

  Both sections have their own Great House for managing small households. The first part of education consists of training that could be assimilated with geishas, that share we learn as young girls at a house numbered 24. We are not exposed to the reality of our profession there, they are rising us like wrapped in cotton wool, treating us like princesses until the end of the fifteenth summer of our lives, or finishing at least five years of history, literature, music and dance lessons.

  Then we are committed to further education directed towards our personal orientation. For me, it was immediately evident to which side of Yoshiwara I belonged to. The same goes for most of the girls who are oriented to a more intimate section of our little town.

  At eighteenth summer we have a ceremonial performance in the Great House. It is beheld for the demonstration of the acquired arts of dancing, music, and serving. Based on this, clients are offering the amount for our first night during which they will turn us into women with intimate experiences.

  Only in rare occasions that first night would be delayed for a few days. In that cases it's always some lady that likes for things to go slow, in accordance with her preferences - that's what Mother says anyway, and no one has a problem with it. For the amounts they are offering, clients can get every girl from Yoshiwara, and expand it even all through the spring until the first winter to enjoy them exclusively - if they decide to pay for that too, of course.

  We all have the same dreams of returning our education debt. It piles up from the moment we come to the house numbered 24 as children, to become a subject of passionate desires. We can solve that problem in two ways. The first one is obvious, earnings from clients during our service-life, but the other way is somewhat more complicated. It's about finding a personal matron with a lot of gold. She would take full care of her girl, exclusively enjoying the privilege of being the only one who can practice the intimacy with that particular night lady.

  The first option can only be achieved by successful night ladies like Utano. She would be free pretty soon if there weren't for two debts, she took upon herself. Honestly, according to Hana and Kaoru's stories, most girls aren't even trying to collect the gold for freedom, because they actually enjoy the luxury that comes with rising of the morning sun.

  The second option is extremely scarce. Unfortunately, most women are still not sufficiently independent to earn such large sums of gold for matronage purposes. Usually, they are widows or rich heirs. Yet most of our clients are women from a high class whose life is limited to contracted marriages. Utano often says that she would live for the next thousand annual cycles as a night lady in Yoshiwara, rather than belong, as a wealthy married woman to a male body from which she could never receive passion and any emotion in the form of a heartbeat.

  I spread the futon preparing for my dreams. Mother sent Utano this afternoon to the Great House, at some event of the closed profile. I'm not sure exactly what this is about. It
's not like I'm thinking much about that, I'll find out soon when I become a woman. She always comes to me before bed, to kiss my forehead for a good night. Now I'll have to send her my thoughts, wishing her to have beautiful dreams in the form of a kiss.

  ✽✽✽

  Ten days have passed since the first cherry blossoms, but an invitation from the Great House did not visit any house yet. Kaors guest only confirmed that rumor about new Madam.

  I caught Utano by the hand beneath the table during tea time. She snuggled my head onto her body. 'Invitation will come soon, don't worry - they didn't forget you.'

  With a sad expression, I said, 'I want to start making my earnings. This - this way I'm just a burden.'

  Utano shifted away from me. 'Uta, everything's happening for a reason, and so is this situation. Our job is hard, use this freedom - you still have it.' What freedom, I thought. When I just started to articulate the thought, she continued, 'Yoshiwara is wonderful at this time of an annual cycle. The springs prospect looks much different from the view of a woman then what the young girl enjoys.' I don't understand what's she talking about, spring is always the same - or she might be right, the walk would do me good right now.

  I went out to an ever-dusty street. The avenues in front of each house contained beautiful white flowers with red poppies circling at the bottom of them. Bird's chirping on branches sounds like a song of greeting just for me. I'm heading to the centre of our part of Yoshiwara, where, beside the Great House, the artificial lake with a small waterfall, surrounded by stands with sweets, is located. I picked a few poppies along the way to make my hands busy by plaiting a wreath with it, while my tiny steps are gently tapping on the stone path.

  Every part of my pale skin is absorbing the sun rays. Utano was right again like she always is. This little outing really brightens my gloomy thoughts, burdened with an evening of the upcoming ceremony. The breeze lightly reached my neck. I closed my eyes absorbing the scent of early spring.

  Finally, I came to the square counting the coins I have for candy from a colorful stand. Unknown hand on my shoulder interrupted me. I turned around and saw Sayuri, a friend from house 24. We shared the room for five annual cycles, but now we only meet for some tea occasionally. Sayuri insisted on paying for our candy pulling out a few coins.

  We decided to take a rest on a settee near the lake, just across the entrance of the Great House. She started talking even before I could adjust myself in a comfortable position. 'That invitation is nowhere in sight, everyone in my house is on their toes. But I'm not complaining - either way, who is impatient to start working. Utaaaa - that Night Butterfly - It strained my back, here - even now it hurts when I'm sitting calmly talking to you...'

  I stopped listening to Sayuri's words with the Great House's doors opening towards the direction of our view. Excitement overcame me.

  It was dark inside, only the glittering chandelier and large wooden handle could be discerned. The birds raised their wings, wandering high in the sky. Everything became silent.

  The clouds covered the sun when a dark-haired woman walked down the stairs. She has a body posture I've never seen before. One of her hands is on the waist side, while the other holding a black stick from which her roseate cigarette is protruding. She lifted her head toward the sky, exhaling out the smoke of tobacco. My heart is beating so hard that my skin started to hurt.

  'Uta!' Sayuri repeated in concern.

  'Yes?' I answered, not noticing the panic in her tone.

  'Are you all right? You're shaking - your lap is all in sugar.' I lowered my head and saw the candy glued to the pricy kimono, it must be that I accidentally dropped it.

  'Sayuri, I'm so sorry - It cost you a lot.' I'm trying to sound polite, even though I'm completely deconcentrated. I've never found myself in this state, it's probably from the excitement, this is the first time I saw through the opened doors of the Great House - the interior of a magnificent foyer.

  'It's not your fault. I'm also disturbed by every opening of these doors. We're both on pins and needles. That's certainly one of many women who is inquiring for the most anticipated evening of Yoshiwara's bloom. Allegedly, there was never more interest in young girls. It seems that these parts can hardly wait for some refreshment...' Sayuri continued to pronounce myriad of meaningless sentences.

  Where did that lady go? At that short moment when I turned away from the entrance, she vanished. I turned around on all sides. 'Sayuri, I have to rush to Mother - for a tea.' I didn't wait for her answer, heading away quickly. Maybe I'll see her again, I hope she's heading in the same direction as my home is - that's a wide street.

  Something awoke in me, I think it's curiosity. If Sayuri is right, she is one of many ceremonial clients.

  There are too many people on the road, I can't see more than a few steps ahead of me. The crowns are obscuring my view. Clouds opened the sun exactly as much as needed for me to squeeze my eyes, trying to squint through the rays without success. A tump made me stop my advance. I looked in front of me and saw Hana sweeping her kimono. She angrily said to me, 'What is it with you Uta, I waved and walked to meet you, but you tried to pass through me as if I was transparent. My hands are all sticky from you - what did you do?'

  My face turned to poppy petals colour. 'Hana, I'm so sorry.' This time I was honest. 'I'm hurrying home - a candy fell on my kimono - I need to soak it quickly in water to make it easier to remove all that sugar. I did not see you in haste...'

  'Go on then, hurry home. Wash that kimono before Mother sees it. You know how sensitive she can be to these things.'

  If I didn't run into Hana, I wouldn't even notice that there was our entrance door beside me.

  I burst onto the stairs to my room. Closing my eyes, I let myself fell on the futon. My breath slowed down. The heartbeats became quieter. In my thoughts, I watched endless rice fields, feeling the wet soil under my feet and scattered scent fragrances of tree crowns under which I stood. This sight of early childhood always brought calmness in me. I'm slowly drifting to sleep. My extremities are becoming heavy and then disappearing like a diminished light. The soft futon turns into the water of rice fields. I lifted my body and opened my eyes to the enormous chandelier that is hanging from the ceiling. Flashing my view, directed onto the double doors, opened enough to see the glittering hall ready for debutant performance. I'm wearing a kimono dyed like it's made of pearls, adorned with white cherry blossom pattern. The obi around my waist is unusually tight, so I'm walking upright. Even if I wished I couldn't get down into the sitting position.

  Voices are pronouncing the names. They called me along with two girls in blue kimonos. Panic's arising in me. Utano is straightening a silk fabric around my sleeve. Mother is looking proudly on my hair, neatly arranged in a ceremonial form with myriad flowers in it. Then she took the gold item out of the box with silver leaves. 'This comb I have worn on my first night. Theeere, it looks beautiful. After that, it was worn by every girl with the roots from our house - and now you will too - Uta.'

  The spectators from the large hall moved apart on two sides, allowing us to pass on a low elevation for performing The Night Butterfly . I feel all the widespread eyes, but none are directed above my neck, from which a discomfort overflows my entire body during the movement.

  Far in the back, I noticed her, a lady from the Great House with a roseate cigarette and captivating figure, while exhaling her smoke toward the ceiling, looking piercingly at me. In one hand she holds a canvas bag full of golden coins, while the other holds a wooden stick with coal black cigarette this time. I feel that her gaze crosses the barrier of my eyelids cavity down to my heart.

  I'm climbing the small wooden stairs. Two girls already taking a dance position. My only focus is on the lady with a black cigarette, isolating the mass - I can not redirect my eyes from hers. The first rhythm of flutes begin. Girl in front of me spread bright red fens, and the dancing started.

  She extends her fens to gigantic proportions.

  Suddenly, I
can see nothing but a red color of rice paper. As music becomes more and more silent, the voices increase. Every name is heard except for mine. I lower the eyes to my breasts. I see that the little flash I had - disappeared.

  Nobody wants me, a sad thought passed through my mind. Why is this now happening to me?

  Fans are moving apart.

  Only she stands in front of me, with her dark cigarette from which the smoke rises up in the sky. The sound of flutes vibrates again. The empty bag hangs from her wrist, while she's offering her hand to me. 'You are only mine Uta.'

  I'm standing paralyzed. My heart accelerates, sounding like light knocking, followed by vigorous breath.

  The flute was silent again, transforming its sound to knocking on the bamboo door.

  'Uta!' Mother's voice awakes me. 'Did you not hear the knocking?' she asked me cheerfully, with no expected answer. In one breath she said, 'The invitation has come, Uta!'

  CHAPTER TREE

  For the next few days, our house was in a rumpus.

  Every household in Yoshiwara got a call. In Mother's calculation, it will be around ten debutants.

  Our evening consists of presenting art skills. Everything begins with a formal dinner. A large table will be set in the hall for those clients who compensate required entering fees for the contest. These are the costs of getting acquainted with girls, during the official part. Regardless of the outcome, the paid amount will not be refunded.

  At dinner time, a debutant participant engages in every form of conversation, showing the arts of entertainment and displaying in suitable topics.

  Only sisters and Mothers are allowed to attend the evening, but not at the clients' table, yet as side observers. Attending seats, for them, will especially be arranged beside the hall walls. They should not be included in the course of entertainment in any way, because that's our primordial debut.

  Throughout the evening, every girl performs on a raised podium, placed only a few steps from our table. We demonstrate skills of playing instruments, dancing, and singing. Every one of us starts the individual performance with an expected duration of The Night Butterfly's length. Our introduction consists of songs, choreographies, and playing instruments. Of course, the longest performed is the specific element by choosing. My specialty is dancing, and that's also what our house is recognized by.