brothel; licensed pleasure quarter establishment
Archaic term for a brothel or establishment in a licensed pleasure quarter, similar to 妓楼, 揚屋, 遊女屋, and 色茶屋. Not used in modern Japanese outside historical contexts.
During the Edo period, brothels were concentrated in licensed quarters like Yoshiwara.
Compound of 妓 (courtesan, geisha) and 院 (institution, house). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with a house of courtesans.