I was curious about the Japanese sex industry especially the culture of prostitution. So I started to research about the red light district including the history, the system, and people who involved in the culture.
日本の性産業について非常に関心があったので、遊廓（赤線）の歴史やシステム、そして取り巻く人々について研究をしました。
I decided to stick on the the red light district as soon as I started this project, especially around the 2nd world war. This picture were taken in 1950, and the prostitution was essential culture for both female workers and working man in this period.この課題が始まって間もなく、遊廓（赤線）を研究課題にすることは決めており、特に戦後の遊廓について興味がありました。以下の写真は昭和25年に撮影されたもので、遊廓（赤線）は働く女性にとっても男性にとっても不可欠な文化でした。
However it was hard to find the images from that period as photography were not permitted in the area. This was taken recently in the Tobita red light district in Osaka, but the style of the architecture in red light district haven’t changed much since 19th century.
しかし、女の子の写真を撮ることはタブーであるので、この時代の遊廓（赤線）の写真を入手するのは大変難しいのです。以下の写真は数年前に大阪の飛田新地で撮影されたものですが、建築様式は江戸時代の遊廓建築から見てもそれほど変化はないと感じます。
So, I decided to mix the period through 19th century until about 1950s. but I would set the period around 1930s in spring, because it was the last decade when Japanese sex workers were wearing kimono, then they started to wear westernized dress for US army. ということで、江戸時代末期～戦後にかけての建築様式をミックスさせて、あくまでも設定は昭和初期の春に拘ることにしました。何故その時代かというと、そのへんの時代が着物の「女の子」をお目にかかれたギリギリの時代だからです。その後、パンパンガールの影響でしょうか、どんどんワンピースなどの洋服にシフトされていったようです。
I watched this film call In the Relm of the Senses, which is about the murder who was a prostitute in 1930s to get some inspirations what the red light district like in 1930s. The story was too pornographic compere to Dracula. 私の一番お気に入りの映画である「愛のコリーダ」を見て、その時代の遊女の雰囲気を得てみようと思ったのですが、ドラキュラ(1992)に比べると少しポルノの要素が強かったかと思います。
but I found there were lots of similarities between the Draculaand this film including the story, set and costume. That is a kind of a reason why I choose the red light district. Because the erotic atmosphere would matches the theme of Dracula. とはいえ、ストーリーやセット、コスチュームなど共通するものは多くありました。それが遊廓（赤線）を選んだ理由の一つでもありますが、そのエロの要素がドラキュラのテーマにとても合うと思います。
At the moment I’m not really sure about the story, and trying to focus on the production design. But kinda have rough idea that the Dracula would be the ;owner of the brothel, and Mina and Lucy is sex workers. And Jonathan is one of their clients who is trying to help Mina and Lucy. 今のところ主にセットデザインに力を入れており、詳しいストーリー設定は決まってはいないのですが、ドラキュラが妓楼の主人、ミナとルーシーが遊女、ジョナサンは二人を救おうとする武士のお客という設定になるかなと考えています。
Before I design proper set I researched the history and system of the Japanese red light district. The history of prostitute in Japan started in ancient times and became more common since 17th century when the government built the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters in Edo. セットデザインを固める前に、まず遊廓（赤線）の歴史について調べてみました。日本の売春の歴史は長く、古代にまで遡ります。一般的になったのは江戸時代に入り幕府により吉原遊廓が開かれてからでした。
This is a old Japanese panel screen from British museum, which illustrates the prostitutes displaying room in the brothel. Through this painting, you can see how girls were waiting for a clients. High class prostitute were sitting on the red carpet in the middle, and lower prostitutes were around the window. これは大英博物館に展示されている、吉原遊廓の張見世を描いた屏風です。この屏風から遊女がお客を待っていた様子を伺えます。花魁は中央の赤い絨毯に腰掛け、その他の遊女は格子窓の周りに座っています。
These are some of the props I gonna include in the design, such as this curtain with the brothel name on it, and this Japanese heating pot was important tool in the cold spring whether and off course the lattice window which was the symbol of the red light district. 以下がデザインに加える小道具類です。例えば、妓楼名が書かれた暖簾や、寒い初春の部屋を暖める火鉢、もちろん格子窓も遊廓のシンボル的なものですね。 This is the example of traditional architecture of brothel build in 1918. The Japanese lantern hanging on the window is sigh that its open. And this red handrail is symbolic decoration of its kind. Also this exaggerated entrance is important to welcome the costumers. 典型的な遊廓建築の例です。 大正７年竣工の飛田新地の百番（妓楼時代は桃山閣）。窓には赤い提灯が下がり、美しい欄干が目を引きます。また唐破風の玄関もお客さんを迎えるのに重要な役割を果たしています。
This is my location a house in Brixton, the reason I choose here is this house has various unique shame which can transform into Japanese brothel. Such as the window on 1st floor could add the handrail, and the large windows in ground floor can be the prostitutes displaying room, and the entrance could be this style. これがロケーションの元になります。ブリクストンにある住宅ですが、この場所を選んだ理由は、日本の遊廓にトランスフォームが可能なこの家のユニークな形にあります。例えば二階の窓の部分に欄干を付けて、一階の窓は張見店にできます。そして入り口は唐破風の玄関にします。
This is a brothel in mid 19th century in Yoshiwara pleasure quarter, as you see they also have the red lantern on the window, also the shop curtain with the brothel name on it. The cherry blossom in the middle of the main street were plant every April so nothing in there in other season. これは幕末の吉原遊廓です。この頃から赤い提灯や暖簾がありました。中央の桜の木は春になると他所から持ってきて植えるのですよ。
This is the large brothel in 1890 in the same pleasure quarter. As the Tibita red light district still have, this brothel already had this exaggerated entrance and this beautiful handrail on the window. Also the lattice window along the street for the displaying room. これは明治に入ってからの吉原の大きな妓楼です。飛田の百番でもあったように唐破風の玄関や窓際の美しい欄干、仲之町の本通りに沿って並ぶ張見世が見えますね。
I also find similarities between Dracula and Japanese culture, for example, as Eiko Ishioka who designed the costume, has a Japanese background, so many of her works were inspired by the oriental culture, such as the costume for wedding dress is very similar to Japanese traditional wedding costume. お話は変わって、ドラキュラには日本文化に近いものを感じます。例えば、コッポラのドラキュラの衣装担当をした石岡瑛子さんのデザインは東洋の影響を強く受けています。ドラキュラに登場するルーシーのウェディングドレスも日本の白無垢によく似ています。
This is the example of the High class prostitute, they wear the kimono girdle the other way around to easier to take off the outfit. Also their hair accessories were very decorative and had big hair style. These kimono and accessory were normally given by the patron.
These girl were often sold by their poor parents who is a farmer in countryside when they are around 7 years old, and the girl needed to lean various thing to entertain the clients until they became 15. Then they can start to work as a sex worker until 27 years old. 彼女達は主に、７歳くらいで貧しい百姓の家庭などから売られ、１５歳頃になるまで芸事を学びます。それからはお客さんの相手をし、１０年間の契約で売られた時の借金を支払っていきます。２７歳が定年だと言われています。
This is the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters in 19th century from the gate. The sex workers were not able to get out from the gate likely until they die or get married with clients and clients need to pay very large amount of money to get married with the girl, so it was very rare to get out for the gate. これは吉原大門から仲之町を見た風景です。遊女達は基本的に死ぬまで門の外に出ることは許されていませんでした。唯一の手段は結婚でしたが、遊女と結婚をするには全ての借金を肩代わりし、多額の金額を納めなければいけなかったために、幸せに結婚して出れる遊女はほんの一握りでした。
Girls were hardly get any salary because the most of the payment from the clients goes to the owner as he paid large amount of money for her parents. So these sex workers were died young due to hunger, or sexual disease. Also as Japanese people haven’t used a condom until 1950s, many sex workers died due to abortion. 花魁といえば華やかなイメージがありますが、現状は甘くは無く、お客が支払った代金の殆どは妓楼に回り、女の子達の給料というのは非常に少なく、飢えや梅毒などに苦しむ日々だったそうです。日本では戦後になるまで避妊具は珍しいものだったので、荒々しい中絶法によって命を落とすものもおりました。 ↓梅毒にかかった遊女。
On the other hand, the sex workers in the pleasure quarter were like superstar or like fashion model for the people in the town. Because in 19th century Japanese government made a law that ordinary people shouldn’t wear any colored clothes, so people were enjoyed to see the costume. 一方、江戸の町娘にとっては花魁はファッションモデルのような存在でした。当時は幕府により女子のオシャレには規制があったため、より花魁が芸能人のように見えたのでしょうか。
コンセプトデザイナーとして参加した韓国映画「100gram」が、カリフォルニアで開催されるモナーク映画祭2013の公式上映作品として選ばれました！ I just received great news from Jo who is a director of the film "100gram", which I worked as a concept designer, has officially selected for the Monarch Film Festival 2013 in California!
