The _Yoshiwara Ō-kagami_, (吉原大鑑) says that as the life of a courtesan is generally spoken of as “_the painful world_” (_Ku-gai_ 苦界) its really painful nature may be well imagined. Not only does a woman who has fallen into this unhappy position become a mere plaything to gratify the lusts of immoral men, but her freedom is so curtailed by circumstances that she cannot even sleep and eat independently, and therefore often has her constitution ruined owing to her irregular mode of eating and drinking. Others fall sick by reason of excessive anxiety over monetary affairs, and others fall a prey to loathsome and, perchance, virtually incurable diseases. When a first-class prostitute (_jōtō no yūjo_) was sick, if the master of the brothel had been to much expense in procuring her, he would spare no pains to cure her illness, and if the matter was serious the woman would be removed to the master’s villa, (which was situated, perhaps, in the vicinity of Imado or Sanya), for treatment. Such an invalid would be closely attended by a _kamuro_ (female page), and sometimes the master himself went to some temple to pray for her recovery. If, however, the _yūjo_ happened to belong to a lower class, and was not particularly popular, the attitude of the brothel-keeper would be entirely different, and the treatment of the girl would be simply entrusted to some quack doctor, the poor creature being meanwhile thrust into an out-of-the-way gloomy room where she would pine away unseen by the other inmates of the house. When her condition was considered very precarious, the master, in order to avoid the trouble and expense involved at death, used to summon her parents and hand the sick woman over to them together with her _shōmon_ (document of engagement). When a _yūjo_ died in a brothel the matter was reported by the monthly manager (_tsuki-gyōji_) of the Yoshiwara to the _nanushi_, and the latter summoned her parents or surety to take delivery of her corpse. In the event of the home of her parents being far away, the remains of the _yūjo_ were interred by the brothel-keeper in the Dōtetsu (general burial place) on the bank in the presence of her surety. This place was also known as the “_nage-komi_” (the “throwing-in-place”). There is an old poem illustrating the sad future which is in store for some unfortunate _shōgi_: it runs:— “_She is hurried to the grave in a pauper’s coffin, with but one solitary little maid to mourn her._” Alas! this description was only too true in many cases.