red-light district; licensed pleasure quarter
Historical term for a government-licensed district where brothels and teahouses operated, especially in the Edo period. In modern contexts, it refers to such historical areas or is used metaphorically.
In the Edo period, Yoshiwara was a famous red-light district.
This novel is set in a licensed pleasure quarter.
Standard kanji spelling; used in news and modern contexts.
Alternate kanji spelling; 廓 is an older character for 'enclosure' or 'quarter'.
Compound of 遊 (play, pleasure) and 郭 (enclosure, quarter), literally 'pleasure quarter'. The term dates from the Edo period when such districts were officially licensed.