Osaka Museum of Housing and Living 9th floor
Exhibition Hall 1: Osaka in the Early Modern Period
Time travel back to Edo Period
5. Furo-ya Public Bathhouse
During the Edo era, wealthy families had their own in-house bath. But ordinary people used public bathhouse called furo-ya (or sentō in Edo).
Before entering the changing section, there is an elevated bath attendant’s booth-cum-cashier called kōza (or bandai), at which bathing fees were collected and things like nuka-bukuro rice-bran-filled scrub bag, which was used in lieu of soap back then, were sold.
Inside is divided into three sections, which are changing section up front, washing section in the middle and bathtub section at the very end.
There is no door or wall in between the changing section and the washing section.
The washing section is stone-floored with a high ceiling, and with various store advertisements posted on the walls.
In a modern-day public bathhouse, washing section and bathtub section are combined.
But the two were separated back then. You then bend down to enter the bathtub section through a low entrance, called zakuro-guchi, under the vermilion-lacquered cusped gable.
This low entrance is an inventive design feature, which keeps the heat and steam in the bathtub section.
For your information, this museum’s guidance video is also shown here.
