What is "jokan-ji"

Jōkan-ji is a buddhist temple in Tokyo, Japan. Its cemetery houses the remains and spirits 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.

The history of the temples dates back to 1650's. 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. Therefore, the temple became popularly known as Nage-komi-dera (Throw-away temple).