Jōkan-ji () is a Buddhist temple in Arakawa, Tokyo, Japan. Its cemetery houses the remains of about 25,000 prostitutes and fire victims of the Yoshiwara quarter of the Edo period. A memorial to the dead was consecrated in the Meiji era.
History The temple was opened in 1655. The dead bodies of prostitutes of the Yoshiwara quarter who were too poor, which was the vast majority of them, were tucked into a hay mat and brought to the back entrance of the temple and left there. This is the reason that the temple became popularly known as Nage-komi-dera (Throw-away temple).
See also Jōgan-ji (Nakano, Tokyo) Ubasute
References
External links
Homepage of Jōkan-ji A ride on the darker side of Tokyo's history at The Japan Times