Shinmachi (新町) was ayūkaku (遊廓、遊郭, pleasure quarter, courtesan's district) inOsaka, built between 1615 and 1623, and operating until its destruction in World War II. It was situated roughly two kilometers southwest ofNakanoshima. Today, it is mostly a tourist attraction and historical site.
Throughout theEdo period (1603–1868), there was widespread male and female prostitution throughout the cities of Kyoto,Edo, and Osaka. TheTokugawa shogunate attempted to control this by restricting prostitution to designated city districts, known asyūkaku. These districts wereShimabara inKyōto (est. 1640[1]), Shinmachi in Osaka (est. 1624–1644[1]) andYoshiwara in Edo (est. 1617[1]). These restrictions and controls did not derive from a moral opposition to prostitution, but out of a desire to compartmentalize certain types of activity within the cities.Kabuki andjōruri theatres, and other related entertainment establishments were similarly controlled.
34°40′39″N135°29′52″E / 34.6776°N 135.497805°E /34.6776; 135.497805 (Ruin of Shinmachi Bridge:East Gate)
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