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The girls of the Maruyama also seem to have maintained strong connections to their natal families. To what extent this was true of the [[Yoshiwara]], [[Shimabara (Kyoto)|Shimabara]], or other districts is unclear, but in the Maruyama, girls were always dutiful daughters (working to support their parents) first, and indentured servants, or property, of the brothel second. They were able to buy, smuggle, or otherwise obtain things to give to their families, and in certain circumstances, in many cases, were able to have the authorities side with them against unfair treatment, or in attempting to get out of their contracts in order to return to "ordinary" society, to marry and have children. ''[[Sugoroku]]'' boards from the time, along with various other popular publications, seem to indicate a common perception that prostitution was simply one stage in one's life, prior to other occupations and/or marriage. Thus, it would seem that prostitutes, and their work, were not necessarily particularly stigmatized, if at all. Closely tied to the local community, historian [[Amy Stanley]] argues the Maruyama courtesans might have been seen by their families and neighbors as little different from daughters who had dutifully gone to work as housemaids, or in textile workshops, in order to help support their parents. Such a thing became relatively common in many parts of the archipelago in the 18th century. Some girls who served the Chinese and Dutch communities as Maruyama prostitutes did not even leave home; in exchange for a significant fee paid by their parents, these girls were able to be part-time (''shikiri'') or nominal (''nazuke'') ''yûjo'', who lived at home with their parents and only went out to Dejima or the Chinese enclosure when the brothel with which they were affiliated did not have enough girls to meet a given night's level of demand. Such part-time activity, however, upset the authorities, as it blurred the distinction between "ordinary" townspeople, who were barred from entering the foreign districts, and prostitutes, who were not. As a result, from time to time, part-time ''yûjo'' were apprehended and punished - typically by being forced into full-time unpaid work in the Maruyama.

The girls of the Maruyama also seem to have maintained strong connections to their natal families. To what extent this was true of the [[Yoshiwara]], [[Shimabara (Kyoto)|Shimabara]], or other districts is unclear, but in the Maruyama, girls were always dutiful daughters (working to support their parents) first, and indentured servants, or property, of the brothel second. They were able to buy, smuggle, or otherwise obtain things to give to their families, and in certain circumstances, in many cases, were able to have the authorities side with them against unfair treatment, or in attempting to get out of their contracts in order to return to "ordinary" society, to marry and have children. ''[[Sugoroku]]'' boards from the time, along with various other popular publications, seem to indicate a common perception that prostitution was simply one stage in one's life, prior to other occupations and/or marriage. Thus, it would seem that prostitutes, and their work, were not necessarily particularly stigmatized, if at all. Closely tied to the local community, historian [[Amy Stanley]] argues the Maruyama courtesans might have been seen by their families and neighbors as little different from daughters who had dutifully gone to work as housemaids, or in textile workshops, in order to help support their parents. Such a thing became relatively common in many parts of the archipelago in the 18th century. Some girls who served the Chinese and Dutch communities as Maruyama prostitutes did not even leave home; in exchange for a significant fee paid by their parents, these girls were able to be part-time (''shikiri'') or nominal (''nazuke'') ''yûjo'', who lived at home with their parents and only went out to Dejima or the Chinese enclosure when the brothel with which they were affiliated did not have enough girls to meet a given night's level of demand. Such part-time activity, however, upset the authorities, as it blurred the distinction between "ordinary" townspeople, who were barred from entering the foreign districts, and prostitutes, who were not. As a result, from time to time, part-time ''yûjo'' were apprehended and punished - typically by being forced into full-time unpaid work in the Maruyama.

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