red-light district; pleasure quarter
Archaic yojijukugo referring to historical licensed red-light districts and entertainment quarters, especially of the Edo period. Not used in modern everyday Japanese; encountered mainly in historical or literary contexts.
In the Edo period, red-light districts flourished in various places, starting with Yoshiwara.
遊郭 is a more common historical term for a licensed red-light district, while 柳巷花街 is a literary, four-character compound with a more poetic or classical feel.
花街 is a broader term for a geisha and entertainment district, still used today for traditional areas like Gion, whereas 柳巷花街 is archaic and specifically evokes old licensed quarters.
A yojijukugo combining 柳 (willow), 巷 (alley), 花 (flower), and 街 (town), poetically evoking the willow-lined streets and flower-like courtesans of old pleasure quarters. The exact origin is uncertain, but it follows a common classical pattern of four-character phrases describing red-light districts.