ABSTRACT
Mu-senyu-kyo,orgoingonagayfrolicwithoutbeing possessedofthenecessarymeans,islocallyknowninthe Yoshiwaraas"Ehisu-ko"orHoritsu("Law").Theformer termhasbeenbroughtintousebecausethemajorityofthosewhointentionallygo"onthespree"without moneyattirethemselvesinthegabof wealthypeople·andsoresemblethe GodofWealth(Ebisu),whoismuch ene1Jidenceatthefestivalof"Ebisuko" (inhonoroftheGodofWealth), althoughinrealitytheyhaven'ta"red cent"(bita-ichi-mon)withwhichtoE.'bisu(TheGodofWealth). blessthemselveswhenthetimeforsquaringupaccounts comes.Thelattertermhasbeencoinedowingtothefact thatalargenumberoflaw(horitsu)studentshavebeen guiltyofswindling,buttheygenerallycontrivetoevadetheir liabilitiesbymeansofingeniousargumentsandmanagingto forcetheirvictimsintocommittingtechnicallyillegalactsof whichtheytakemeanadvantageandwhichtheyuseasa weaponagainstcreditors.Asamatterof.fact,thebrothelkeeperssometimesfinditimpossibletoappealtothepolice, andareoftenforcedto"grinandbear"theirlossesinsilence owingtothe"cuteness"andsophistryofthe"haritsu." Itisnotuncommonformenbelongingtotheshokunin (artisan)classtoenterabrothelundertheinfluenceofliquor withoutconsultingthestateoftheirpurses,andconsequently
tofindthemselvesconfrontednextmorningwithalongbill whichtheycannotsettle.Thesefellowsaretakeninhandby professional"fixers"(shimatsuya=onewho"fixesup"and settlesmatters)called"-uma-ya"(horse-houses)whoundertake tocollectthebilloncommission.The"fixers,"or"uma-ya," sendamessenger,knownasan"uma"(horse),homewith suchdefaultingguest,andthis"uma"willdogthefoosteps ofthedebtoruntilthelatterpayshisbill.Caseshavehoweverbeenknownwheretheguestconducteda"horse"(uma) toacertainhouse,whichhepretendedwashisown,entered onthepretextofobtainingsomemoney,andwalkingthrough quietly,slidoutoftheback-doorandescaped.Buteven whenaguesttemporarilyescapesinthisway,heisgenerally detected,andthen,ifhecan'tpay,the"uma"levya squeezeof50senperdayontheirvictims.
