Although Shimabara, Shinmachi, and Yoshiwara were three big yukaku (there is also an opinion that Nagasaki Maruyama and Ise Furuichi are included instead of Osaka Shinmachi), there were twenty and more licensed yukaku all over Japan, and prostitutes called meshimori onna were at each post stations.
島原、新町、吉原が公許の三大遊郭（大阪・新町のかわりに長崎・丸山、伊勢・古市を入れる説もある）であったが、ほかにも全国20数カ所に公許の遊廓が存在し、各宿場にも飯盛女と言われる娼婦がいた。