In the early 17th century, there was widespread male and female prostitution throughout the cities of Kyoto, Edo, and Osaka. To counter this, an order of Tokugawa Hidetada of the Tokugawa shogunate restricted prostitution to designated city districts: Shimabara for Kyōto (1640[1]), Shinmachi for Ōsaka (1624–1644[1]), and Yoshiwara for Edo (1617[1]). A leading motive for establishing these districts was the Tokugawa shogunate trying to prevent the nouveau riche chōnin (townspeople) from engaging in political intrigue.[1]