Remnant of Kagetsu-ro, Nagasaki

One of Japan's 3 largest licensed pleasure quarters

Takako Sakamoto Mar 20, 2015 - 1 min read

<p>Semicircular sign of Kagetsu-ro and large paper lantern hanging at the entrance</p>

<p>A stone marker indicating that this place is designated as a historical site stands in front of the entrance</p>

<p>Countless writers, artists and important foreign visitors must have passed through this gate</p>

<p>When you pass through the gate you'll find the entrance on your left. This is where the semicircular sign and large paper lantern in the first photo are hanging.</p>

<p>The glasses of these windows are wavy, old-fashioned ones called vidro in Portuguese, which proves the long history of this place located in an international city</p>

<p>The strong influence of western culture can be felt here</p>

<p>Customers in history must have gone home looking up at the happy faces of these masks</p>

<p>As a prestigious licensed quarter with class, Kagetsu-ro entertained various customers, including foreign guests, with professional hospitality! </p>

In the Edo period, Maruyama in Nagasaki was renowned as one of the three largest licensed 'pleasure quarters' in Japan (the other two were Yoshiwara in Edo and Shimabara in Kyoto). Maruyama was the only red-light district which accepted foreign customers during the period when Japan was closed to the world.

This time, I finally visited the prestigious, historical Japanese restaurant 'Kagetsu-ro'. The buildings and gardens of Hikita-ya, a prostitute house, were bequeathed to this restaurant, which was designated as a historical site of Nagasaki prefecture in 1960. It still functions as a Japanese restaurant, with an official designation as a historical site, which is a rare case in Japan. If you come to Kagetsu-ro, you can enjoy 'Shippoku cuisine' (Nagasaki's specialty), in the same place where famous writers, artists, renowned samurai of Bakumatsu (at the end of Edo period) and foreign celebrities of the past used to be entertained.

Kagetsu-ro Restaurant Series

Takako Sakamoto @takako.sakamoto

I was born in and grew up in Tokushima prefecture, and have lived in many places since then: Nishinomiya, Kyoto, Nara, Mie, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Fukuoka and Fukui. I am currently living in Yokohama City. All the places I lived, all the places I visited, I have loved dearly. The histor...