Post-War Ueno’s Pampan Women: The Rise of Kakiya, Nameya, and Tachi Asobi
The Modern History of the "Tachinbo" (3) Part 2
How has “tachinbo,” which is said to be the most primitive of all customs, changed over time? In this “Modern History of Tachinbo,” customs journalist Akira Ikoma unravels the history of “tachinbo” from the night hawk of the Edo period to the “koin joshi” of Reiwa. In the second part of the third installment, he explains the various realities of the “pampans” who emerged after the end of the war and the boom they triggered in society.
Ueno, the largest “Wapan” (Japanese-style Panpan) area after the war
The main earning areas for Panpan in Tokyo included places such as Bashing (Shinbashi), Rakuchou (Yurakucho), Nogami (Ueno), Juku (Shinjuku), and Bukuro (Ikebukuro). Sukiyabashi in Yurakucho became famous among American soldiers as a Panpan landmark and was called “Panpan Bridge.”
Ueno, which was the largest area for “Wapan” (Japanese-style Panpan) after the war, had various types of Panpan women, such as “Kakiya,” “Nameya,” and “Match Sellers.” “Kakiya” were women who would rub men’s genitals in dark corners of seedy adult movie theaters, and there were also male prostitutes.
“Nameya” operated around public restrooms near entertainment areas, especially in the back areas, and these were women who made their living by licking, typically older women in their 60s to 70s. There were also “Tachi Bobo-ya” (standing brothels) where the business was conducted standing up, which was a common practice because it allowed women to quickly escape if the police came. On the other hand, “Ne Asobi” (lying down sex) was riskier and avoided because it could lead to police raids, causing trouble for others. In Ueno, war widows, repatriates, and even 10-year-old girls engaged in prostitution, with payments sometimes being one rice ball or one pack of cigarettes. Ueno Park, which had around 60 male prostitutes, was referred to as the “Nogami Jungle.”
“Match Sellers” were women who would let customers watch their crotches until the match burned out under the shade of trees, and they were also known as “Exhibitionists.” There was a “Match Seller woman” at Hanazono Shrine in Shinjuku. She sold a match for 100 yen, raised her kimono, and spread her legs, with the customers staring intently at the flickering flame. Among the “Flower-selling girls in Ginza” there were also a “Girl showing her private parts with a match’s flame in a dark alley”, with some not wearing panties or pulling them down for customers.
