Wakashū

[3] This was the case particularly for male prostitutes, who would not be considered as a suitable object of homoerotic desire for older men (wakashūdo or shūdo) after reaching adulthood.

In 1685, the shogunate reportedly cracked down on the so-called o-wakashū (senior youths) who delayed their coming-of-age ceremony until their middle 20s.

The cult of youthful male beauty in Japanese literature may be traced as far back as the 11th-century classic The Tale of Genji, whose protagonist is described as "such an attractive figure that the other men felt a desire to see him as a woman".

[3] Wakashū were prominently featured in Edo-period woodcuts, where they are often distinguishable from the female beauties in the same pictures only by a sword or the shaved spot on the crown of their head.

Female actors were banned from kabuki in 1629 in an effort to crack down on prostitution, and the roles of women and young boys began to be performed by wakashū.