Dai-ya no koto. (Cook-houses of the Yoshiwara.)

In former days the present “Dai-ya” (cook-houses) were called “Ki-no-ji-ya” owing to the fact that a man named Oda-wara-ya Ki-ue first established such houses. Originally only the smaller brothels were supplied with food from these dai-ya, but now-a-days all the brothels, irrespective of size or grade, draw their foodsupply from the cook-houses. These dai-ya supply every conceivable kind of food, be it sushi (a fish and rice roll), kwashi (cakes), soba (buck-wheat macaroni), midzu-gwashi (fruit), or what not; and according to the quantity of food, dishes are divided into three classes, viz:—Nami-dai (ordinary dish), Dai-shō (medium-sized dish), and Ō-dai (a large-sized dish). These sizes are charged out at 25 sen, 37-1⁄2 sen, and 50 sen respectively, but the dai-ya are said to supply brothels at one third of the above prices, and if that be so then the latter earn a profit of two-thirds of the selling price to guests! The rule is to make a prompt cash payment on delivery of food, but as a matter of fact a wooden ticket, bearing the sign of each brothel, is given in exchange for dai-no-mono (food brought in) every time it is brought in, and payment is made the following day. It is stated by “those who know” that there are some brothels which have a debt of several hundred Yen to the dai-ya. There are a great many dai-ya in the Yoshiwara, but those which usually supply first-class brothels are “Koi-matsu” of Ageya-chō Ni-chō-me; “Yao-kyū” of the same street; and “Matsu-no” of Sumi-chō. In counting the number of dai-no-mono, the auxiliary numeral “mai” is used: thus “nami-sammai” (ordinary three flat things) means three ordinary dishes of food. This is generally abbreviated to simply—“nami san” (ordinary three) etc., and the auxiliary numeral eliminated. An ordinary dish, with a bottle of saké thrown in, is known as “ichi-mai ippon” [one (dish) and one bottle.] Sometimes a guest orders food merely for the good of the house, and under these circumstances will be asked:—“What will you take?” He will no doubt reply:—“Nan demo ii yo” (“Anything will do”) and so the cook-house is instructed to send in a demo-dai (a dish of “anything”: demo is a contraction of nan demo = “anything”) which means that there is no particular choice on the part of the customer.

By the way, there is, in the “Shōbai Ōrai” (倡賣往來) by Ikku, an item which shows a bill of fare in a dai-ya a hundred years ago. It is as follows:—“The bill of fare of the “Ki-no-ji-ya” consisted of:—

Kimpira-gobō. Chopped burdock-root fried in goma oil.

Teri-gomamé. Dried young sardines roasted and boiled in sugar and soy.

Aramé. Arame sea-weed (Capea elongata.)

Aburage. Bean-curd fried in oil.

Ko-zakana nitsuke. Small fishes, boiled.

San-kai. Various fishes and birds.

Suzuri-buta. A nest of boxes containing sundry foods.

Tamago. Eggs.

Kuwai. “Arrow-heads.”

Kama-boko. The flesh of fish hashed; seasoned with a little saké and salt, rolled around a stick and baked.

Kawa-také. River-mushroom.

Tsuke-warabi. Salted fern-shoots.

Hachi-zakana. Fish served in dishes.

Karei. Sole-fish.

Nibitashi shin-shōga. Fresh ginger-roots (boiled.)

Domburi. A porcelain bowl containing food.

Fuki. Petasites japonicus.

Yaki-dōfu. Roasted bean-curd.

Su-gobō. Root of the burdock in vinegar.

Udo. Japanese asparagus (Aralia cordata.)

Renkon. Lotus roots.

Ika. Cuttle-fish.

Nishi-sazai-kinome-age. Conch flavoured with the young leaves of the sanshō plant.

Suimono. Soup.

Musubi-gisu. Sayori fish tied in a knot.

Hamaguri. Clams and vegetables.

Senyō. A kind of soup.

Umani. Any food cooked in a mixture of soy, mirin, sugar, and the shavings of dried bonito.

Taimen. Food made of vermicelli mixed with the minced flesh of the tai cooked.

Ankake. A kind of soup, containing tōfu or arrowroot.

etc., all of which foods are suitable for those persons who stop in brothels for several consecutive days.