A Look Inside the Bathhouses of Edo

A floor plan of an Edo bathhouse, indicating (1) the doma, an earthen-floored entrance space; (2) the bath attendant’s platform; (3) a changing area; (4) washing areas; (5) the zakuroguchi, entrances to the baths; and (6) the baths. From Morisada mankō (Morisada’s Sketches). (Courtesy National Diet Library)

Zakuroguchi in Osaka (left) and Edo. From Morisada mankō (Morisada’s Sketches). (Courtesy National Diet Library)

The men’s bath in Santō Kyōden’s Kengu irigomi sentō shinwa (Wisdom and Folly Mixed in New Tales of the Bathhouse). The top picture shows the zakuroguchi, while the bottom picture looks down on the bathing area, with a bucket visible in the washing area. (Courtesy National Diet Library)

Hadakisoi hana no shōfuyu (Naked Flower Rivalry in the Women’s Bath) by Toyohara Kunichika (1868) shows an imagined women’s bathhouse scene. In the upper right, a male attendant assists with washing. (Courtesy National Diet Library)