Japan: 'Shashin Mitate Cho' (Photograph for the Purpose of Helping a Customer Select a Prostitute)....

Prostitution in Japan has existed throughout the country's history. The opening of Japan and the subsequent flood of Western influences into Japan brought about a series of changes in the Meiji period. Japanese novelists started to draw attention to the confinement and squalid existence of the lower-class prostitutes in the red-light districts. 'Shashin Mitate Cho' (essentially, prostitute menus or catalogues) were introduced soon after photography became popular in the late 19th century, at least in more upmarket brothels, as an alternative to the 'caged prostitute' displays of lower class brothels where women were displayed for the consideration of customers.