ThermalismJapan

Contents

1 Onsen 11.1 Mixed bathing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.2 Etiquette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1.2.1 Ensuring cleanliness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21.2.2 Swimsuits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.2.3 Towels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.2.4 Noise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.2.5 Tattoos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1.3 Therapy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.4 Risks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.5 Selected onsen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.6 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61.7 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61.8 Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71.9 External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

2 Sentō 82.1 Layout and architectural features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

2.1.1 Entrance area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82.1.2 Changing room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92.1.3 Bathing area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92.1.4 Boiler room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92.1.5 Sauna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

2.2 Etiquette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102.2.1 Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102.2.2 Entrance and undressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102.2.3 Bathing area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

2.3 Social and cultural aspects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102.3.1 Etiquette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102.3.2 Tattoos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

2.4 Sanitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102.5 Pricing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102.6 History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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ii CONTENTS

2.6.1 Nara period to Kamakura period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112.6.2 Kamakura period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112.6.3 Edo period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112.6.4 Meiji period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122.6.5 Rebuilding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122.6.6 Golden era . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122.6.7 Decline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122.6.8 Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

2.7 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132.8 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132.9 Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132.10 External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

3 Ashiyu 143.1 Outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143.2 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143.3 External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

4 Furo 154.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164.2 External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

5 Ganban'yoku 175.1 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175.2 External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

6 Sansuke 186.1 Origin of the word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186.2 Sansuke in premodern times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186.3 Nagashi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186.4 Kodakara no yu and Sansuke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186.5 Sansuke during early-modern times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196.6 Sansuke of today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196.7 Reference books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196.8 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196.9 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

6.9.1 Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206.9.2 Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206.9.3 Content license . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Chapter 1

Onsen

Outdoor pool, Naruko, Miyagi

An onsen (温泉) is a term for hot springs in the Japaneselanguage, though the term is often used to describe thebathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As avolcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsenscattered along its length and breadth. Onsen were tra-ditionally used as public bathing places and today play acentral role in directing Japanese domestic tourism.Onsen come in many types and shapes, including outdoor(露天⾵呂 or 野天⾵呂 roten-buro or noten-buro) andindoor baths. Baths may be either public run by a mu-nicipality or private (内湯 uchiyu) often run as part of ahotel, ryokan or bed and breakfast (⺠宿 minshuku).Onsen are a central feature of Japanese tourism oftenfound out in the countryside but there are a number ofpopular establishments still found within major cities.They are a major tourist attraction drawing Japanese cou-ples, families or company groups who want to get awayfrom the hectic life of the city to relax. Japanese often

Guidebook to Hakone from 1811

talk of the virtues of“naked communion”(裸の付き合い hadaka no tsukiai)*[1] for breaking down barriers andgetting to know people in the relaxed homey atmosphereof a ryokan with an attached onsen. Japanese televisionchannels often feature special programs about local on-sens.The presence of an onsen is often indicated on signs andmaps by the symbol♨ or the kanji,湯 (yu, meaning“hotwater”). Sometimes the simpler hiragana characterゆ(yu) is used, to be understandable to younger children.Traditionally, onsen were located outdoors, although alarge number of inns have now built indoor bathing facil-ities as well. Onsen by definition use naturally hot waterfrom geothermally heated springs. Onsen should be dif-

1

2 CHAPTER 1. ONSEN

Roten-buro outdoor onsen at Nakanoshima in Nachikatsuura,Wakayama

Indoor onsen at Ōfuka Onsen

ferentiated from sentō, indoor public bath houses wherethe baths are filled with heated tap water. The legal defi-nition of an onsen includes that its water must contain atleast one of 19 designated chemical elements, includingradon and metabolic acid and be 25 °C or warmer beforebeing reheated. Stratifications exist for waters of differ-ent temperatures. Major onsen resort hotels often featurea wide variety of themed spa baths and artificial waterfallsin the bathing area utaseyu (打たせ湯).Onsen water is believed to have healing powers derivedfrom its mineral content. A particular onsen may featureseveral different baths, each with water with a differentmineral composition. The outdoor bath tubs are mostoften made from Japanese cypress, marble or granite,while indoor tubs may be made with tile, acrylic glass orstainless steel. Different onsen also boast about their dif-ferent waters or mineral compositions, plus what healingproperties these may contain. Other services like mas-sages may be offered.People often travel to onsen with work colleagues,friends, couples or their families.

1.1 Mixed bathing

Traditionally, men and women bathed together at the on-sen and sentō but gender separation has been enforcedsince the opening of Japan to the West during the MeijiRestoration. Mixed bathing (混浴 konyoku) persists atsome special onsen in rural areas of Japan,*[2] which usu-ally also provide the option of separate “women-only”baths or different hours for the two sexes. Men usu-ally cover their genitals with a small towel while bathing,while women usually wrap their bodies in full size towels.Children of either sex may be seen in both the men's andthe women's baths. In some prefectures of Japan, includ-ing Tokyo, where nude mixed bathing is banned, peo-ple are obligated to wear swimsuits or yugi (湯着 yugi),which are specialized clothing for baths.

1.2 Etiquette

Baskets

1.2.1 Ensuring cleanliness

At an onsen, as at a sentō, all guests are expected to washtheir bodies and rinse themselves thoroughly before en-tering the hot water. Bathing stations are equipped withstools, faucets, wooden buckets, and toiletries such assoap and shampoo; nearly all onsen also provide remov-able shower heads for bathing convenience. Entering theonsen while still dirty or with traces of soap on the bodyis socially unacceptable.*[3]

1.3. THERAPY 3

1.2.2 Swimsuits

Bathers are not normally allowed to wear swimsuits inthe baths. However, some modern onsen with more ofa waterpark atmosphere require their guests to wear aswimming suit in their mixed baths.

1.2.3 Towels

Onsen guests generally bring a small towel with them touse as a wash cloth. The towel can also provide a mod-icum of modesty when walking between the washing areaand the baths. Some onsen allow one to wear the towelinto the baths, while others have posted signs prohibitingthis, saying that it makes it harder to clean the bath. Itis sometimes against the rules to immerse or dip towelsin the onsen bath water, since this can be considered un-clean. In this latter case, people normally set their towelsoff to the side of the water when enjoying the baths, orplace their folded towels on top of their heads.

1.2.4 Noise

Onsen vary from quiet to noisy, some play piped musicand often feature gushing fountains. Bathers will engagein conversation in this relaxed situation. There are usuallyprohibitions against rowdiness in the washing and bathingareas. A small amount of excess energy and splashingaround is usually tolerated from children, however.

Shower cubicles

1.2.5 Tattoos

Many onsen ban bathers with tattoos, which in Japan, asin the West prior to the radical changes that have takenplace in society, are perceived as a badge of criminal-ity̶Yakuza traditionally have elaborate tattoos. Despitethis background reason, the rule is often enforced strictlyagainst all, including foreigners, women, and even whentattoos are small and“peaceful”.*[4]*[5]*[6]

1.3 Therapy

The volcanic nature of Japan provides plenty of springs.When the onsen's water contains distinctive minerals orchemicals, the onsen establishments display what type ofonsen it is.Some examples of types of onsen include:

• Sulphur onsen (硫⻩泉 iō-sen)

• Sodium chloride onsen (ナトリウム泉 natoriumu-sen)

• Hydrogen carbonate onsen (炭酸泉 tansan-sen)

• Iron onsen (鉄泉 tetsu-sen)

In Japan, it is said onsen have various medical effects.*[7]Japanese people believe that a good soak in proper onsenheals aches, pains and diseases, and visit onsen to treatthe illnesses, such as arthralgia, chronic skin diseases, di-abetes, constipation, menstrual disorders and so on.*[7]These medical benefits have given onsen a central role inbalneotherapy which is called“Onsen Therapy”(温泉療法 onsen-ryōhō). Onsen Therapy is a comprehensivebathing treatment conducted to maintain health, normal-ize dysfunctions and prevent illness.*[7]

1.4 Risks

Although millions of Japanese bathe in onsen every yearwith few noticeable side effects, there are still contraindi-cations to onsen usage, such as high blood pressure orheart disease.*[8]In recent years, Legionella bacteria have been found spo-radically in onsen with poor sanitation.*[9]*[10] Revela-tions of poor sanitary practices at some onsen have led toimproved regulation by hot spring communities to main-tain their reputation.*[11]There have been reports of infectious disease found in hotbodies of water worldwide, such as:

• Various Naegleria species.*[12] While studies havefound the presence of Naegleria in hot spring wa-ters, the worrisome Naegleria fowleri amoeba hasnot been identified.*[12] Nevertheless, less than 5cases have been seen historically in Japan, althoughnot conclusively linked to onsen exposure.*[13]

Many onsen have posted notices for visitors, remindinganyone with open cuts, sores, or lesions to not bathe. Ad-ditionally, in recent years onsen are increasingly addingchlorine to their waters to prevent infection, althoughmany onsen purists seek natural, unchlorinated onsenthat instead does not recycle its water, cleaning baths

4 CHAPTER 1. ONSEN

daily.*[11] These precautions as well as proper onsen us-age (i.e. not placing the head underwater, washing thor-oughly before entering the bath) greatly reduces any over-all risk to bathers.

1.5 Selected onsen

Kinosaki Hot Spring, Hyōgo, postcard circa 1910

Old Tsuru-no-yu Bathhouse in Nyūtō Onsen area, Akita

• Akagi, Gunma

• Akayu, Yamagata

Winter bathing at Tsuru-no-yu roten-buro in Nyūtō, Akita

Kurokawa Onsen roten-buro in Kyushu

Japanese Macaques enjoying a roten-buro open-air onsen atJigokudani Monkey Park

• Arima Onsen, Kobe, Hyōgo

• Asamushi Onsen, Aomori Prefecture

• Aso, Kumamoto, a famous onsen area alongsideMount Aso, an active volcano

• Atami Onsen (ja), Atami, Shizuoka, major onsenresort town near Tokyo

1.5. SELECTED ONSEN 5

Yumura-onsen's hot-spring resort and forests in Shin'onsen,Hyōgo

Dōgo Onsen hot springs (main building) in Matsuyama, Ehime

Ginzan Onsen in Obanazawa, Yamagata

• Awara Onsen (ja), Awara, Fukui Prefecture

• Awazu Onsen (ja), Komatsu, Ishikawa

• Beppu Onsen, Beppu, Ōita Prefecture, famous forits multi-coloured baths

• Dōgo Onsen, Ehime Prefecture

• Futamata, Hokkaidō

• Gero Onsen (ja), Gero, Gifu, famous for its freeopen bath on riverbank of Hida River

• Getō Onsen (ja), Iwate Prefecture

• Ginzan Onsen, Obanazawa, Yamagata

• Hakone, Kanagawa, famous onsen resort town nearTokyo

• Hanamaki, Iwate

• Hirayu Onsen (ja), Takayama, Gifu

• Hokkawa Onsen (ja), Shizuoka

• Ibusuki Onsen, Kagoshima Prefecture

• Ikaho Onsen (ja), Ikaho, Gunma

• Itō, Shizuoka

• Iwaki Yumoto Onsen, Fukushima Prefecture

• Iwamuro, Niigata, famous for onsen since the Edoperiod

• Jigokudani, Nagano Prefecture

• Jōzankei Onsen (ja), Hokkaido

• Kaike Onsen (ja), Yonago, Tottori

• Kakeyu Onsen (ja), Nagano

• Kanzanji Onsen (ja), Shizuoka

• Katayamazu Onsen (ja), Kaga, Ishikawa

• Kawayu Onsen (ja), Tanabe, Wakayama

• Kindaichi Onsen, Iwate

• Kinosaki, Hyōgo

• Kinugawa Onsen, Tochigi

• Kurokawa Onsen, Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture

• Kusatsu Onsen, Gunma Prefecture

• Misasa Onsen (ja), Misasa, Tottori Prefecture

• Nagaragawa Onsen, Gifu, Gifu

• Sawatari, Gunma Prefecture

• Shima, Gunma Prefecture

• Nanki-Katsuura Onsen (ja), Nachikatsuura,Wakayama

• Nanki-Shirahama Onsen, Shirahama, WakayamaPrefecture

• Naruko, Miyagi

• Noboribetsu, Hokkaido

• Nuruyu Onsen, Kumamoto Prefecture

• Nyūtō Onsen (ja), Akita Prefecture

• Onneyu Onsen (ja), Hokkaido

6 CHAPTER 1. ONSEN

• Ōfuka Onsen, Akita• Ryujin Onsen (ja), Tanabe, Wakayama, one ofJapan's famous three beautifying onsen

• Sabakoyu Onsen, Fukushima Prefecture, the oldestcommunity onsen in Japan

• Sakunami Onsen, Miyagi• Senami Onsen (ja), Niigata Prefecture• Shimabara, Nagasaki• Shimobe Onsen (ja), Yamanashi Prefecture• Shiobara Onsen (ja), Tochigi Prefecture• Shuzenji Onsen (ja), Shizuoka Prefecture• Sōunkyo Onsen (ja), Hokkaido• Sukayu Onsen, Aomori Prefecture• Sumatakyō Onsen (ja), Shizuoka Prefecture• Suwa, Nagano Prefecture• Takanoyu Onsen, Akita Prefecture• Takaragawa, Gunma, one of the largest outdoormixed baths in Japan

• Takarazuka, Hyōgo• Tara, Saga• Tōyako, Hokkaidō• Tsubame Onsen (ja), Niigata - famous for its freeopen mixed onsen

• Tsukioka Onsen, Niigata (ja), Niigata Prefecture• Tsurumaki Onsen (ja), Kanagawa• Unazuki Onsen (ja), Kurobe, Toyama Prefecture• Wakura Onsen, Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture• Yamanaka Onsen, Kaga, Ishikawa• Yamashiro Onsen (ja), Kaga, Ishikawa• Yubara Onsen (ja), Okayama Prefecture, one of thelargest mixed baths at the foot of Yubara dam

• Yudanaka Onsen (ja), Nagano Prefecture• Yufuin, Ōita Prefecture• Yugawara, Kanagawa Prefecture• Yumura Onsen (ja), (Shin'onsen, Hyōgo)• Yunogo Onsen, Okayama Prefecture• Yunokawa Onsen, Hokkaido• Yunomine Onsen (ja), Tanabe, Wakayama, site ofthe UNESCO World Heritage Tsuboyu bath

• Yuzawa, Niigata• Zaō Onsen, Yamagata Prefecture

1.6 See also

• Ashiyu

• Balneotherapy

• Furo

• Public bathing

• Sauna

• Sentō

• Taiwanese hot springs

• Three Ancient Springs

• Turkish bath

1.7 References[1] This term should be carefully differentiated from the word

skinship (スキンシップ sukinshippu) which refers to thebenefits of physical contact, for instance, on babies by theirmothers.

[2] “Japan's Konyoku (mixed gender) Onsen Best 100”.Konyoku.org. Retrieved January 11, 2014.

[3] In very isolated onsen, where there is no possibility to usesoap before entering in the bath, onsen users are expectedto at least rinse their body with the water of the bath beforeentering it.

[4] Covering the offending tattoo with sticking plaster cansometimes solve the problem.“OnsenWarnings and Has-sles”

[5] Tattoo in Japan (2009-12-22).“Tattoo in Japan”. BoingBoing. Retrieved 2010-12-07.

[6]“Sunnypages - Tokyo reviews by English speakers”. Sun-nypages.jp. Retrieved 2010-12-07.

[7] Getting into hot water for health. The Japan Times. May25, 2003.

[8] “Hot Spring Treatment｜ Hot Spring Encyclopedia｜ONSEN ｜ BEPPU CITY ｜". City.beppu.oita.jp. Re-trieved 2010-12-07.

[9] H. Miyamoto; S. Jitsurong; R. Shiota; K. Maruta; S.Yoshida; E. Yabuuchi (1997). “Molecular determina-tion of infection source of a sporadic Legionella pneu-monia case associated with a hot spring bath”. Micro-biol Immunol. 41 (3): 197–202. doi:10.1111/j.1348-0421.1997.tb01190.x. PMID 9130230.

[10] Eiko Yabuuchi; Kunio Agata, Kansenshogaku zasshi(Kansenshogaku zasshi) (2004). “An outbreak of le-gionellosis in a new facility of hot spring Bath in HiugaCity”. Kansenshogaku zasshi 78 (2): 90–98. ISSN 0387-5911. PMID 15103899.

1.9. EXTERNAL LINKS 7

[11] “Onsen: know what you're getting into”. The JapanTimes.

[12] Shinji Izumiyama; Kenji Yagita; Reiko Furushima-Shimogawara; Tokiko Asakura; Tatsuya Karasudani;Takuro Endō (July 2003). “Occurrence and Distribu-tion of Naegleria Species in Thermal Waters in Japan”. The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology 50 (s1): 514–5. doi:10.1111/j.1550-7408.2003.tb00614.x. PMID14736147.

[13] Yasuo Sugita; Teruhiko Fujii, Itsurou Hayashi, TakachikaAoki, Toshirō Yokoyama, Minoru Morimatsu, ToshihideFukuma & Yoshiaki Takamiya (May 1999). “Primaryamebic meningoencephalitis due to Naegleria fowleri: Anautopsy case in Japan”. Pathology International 49 (5):468–70. doi:10.1046/j.1440-1827.1999.00893.x. PMID10417693.

1.8 Further reading• Hotta, Anne, and Yoko Ishiguro. A Guide toJapanese Hot Springs. New York: Kodansha Amer-ica, 1986. ISBN 0-87011-720-3.

• Fujinami, Kōichi. Hot Springs in Japan. Tokyo:Board of Tourist Industry, Japanese GovernmentRailways; Maruzen Company, Ltd., 1936.

• Neff, Robert. Japan's Hidden Hot Springs. Rutland,Vermont: Charles E. Tuttle, 1995. ISBN 0-8048-1949-1.

• Seki, Akihiko, and Elizabeth Heilman Brooke. TheJapanese Spa: A Guide to Japan's Finest Ryokan andOnsen. Boston: Tuttle Publishing, 2005. ISBN 0-8048-3671-X. Reprinted as Ryokan: Japan's FinestSpas and Inns, 2007. ISBN 0-8048-3839-9.

1.9 External links• Sento Guide Guide to public baths in Japan

• OnsenJapan.net Interactive Google map with easy-to-read icons, pictures, and reviews

• Secret Onsen a database with more than 125 onsenall around Japan

• Onsen of Fukuoka Prefecture from official page ofFukuoka Prefecture Tourism Association

• Guide around Yudanaka Onsen, Shibu Onsen andJigokudani Monkey park onsen

• Japan Onsen A mountain onsen guide for the Shin-etsu region of the Japan Alps

• Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau Indepth in-formation on onsen in Wakayama Prefecture

Chapter 2

Sentō

Entrance to the sentō at the Edo Tokyo Open Air Museum

Sentō (銭湯) is a type of Japanese communal bath housewhere customers pay for entrance. Traditionally thesebath houses have been quite utilitarian, with a tall bar-rier separating the sexes within one large room, a mini-mum of lined up faucets on both sides and a single largebath for the already washed bathers to sit in among others.Since the second half of the 20th century, these commu-nal bath houses have been decreasing in numbers as moreand more Japanese residences now have baths. SomeJapanese find social importance in going to public baths,out of the theory that physical proximity/intimacy bringsemotional intimacy, which is termed skinship in pseudo-English Japanese. Others go to a sentō because they livein a small housing facility without a private bath or to en-joy bathing in a spacious room and to relax in saunas orjet baths that often accompany new or renovated sentōs.Another type of Japanese public bath is onsen, which useshot water from a natural hot spring. In general the wordonsen means that the bathing facility has at least one bathfilled with natural hot spring water. However through-out the Kansai region of Japan the word“onsen”is alsoa commonly used naming scheme for sentō. Sentō andsupersentō in Kansai that do have access to a hot springwell often differentiate themselves by having “naturalhot spring”(天然温泉) somewhere on their signage.

2.1 Layout and architectural fea-tures

General Layout of a Sentō

2.1.1 Entrance area

There are many different looks for a Japanese sentō, orpublic bath. Most traditional sentō, however, are verysimilar to the layout shown on the right. The entrancefrom the outside looks somewhat similar to a temple, witha Japanese curtain (暖簾, noren) across the entrance. Thecurtain is usually blue and shows the kanji湯 (yu, lit. hotwater) or the corresponding hiragana ゆ. After the en-trance there is an area with shoe lockers, followed by twolong curtains or door, one on each side. These lead tothe datsuijo (脱⾐場, changing room), also known as dat-suiba for themen and women respectively. Themen's andthe women's side are very similar and differ only slightly.

8

2.1. LAYOUT AND ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES 9

2.1.2 Changing room

Bandai in the Edo Tokyo Open Air Museum

A public bathing facility in Japan typically has one of twokinds of entrances. One is the front desk variety, wherea person in charge sits at a front desk, abbreviated as“front.”The other entrance variety is the bandai style. InTokyo, 660 sentō facilities have a“front"-type entrance,while only 315 still have the more traditional bandai-styleentrance.*[1]Inside, between the entrances is the bandai (番台),where the attendant sits. The bandai is a rectangular orhorseshoe-shaped platform with a railing, usually around1.5 to 1.8 m high. Above the bandai is usually a largeclock. Immediately in front of the bandai is usually a util-ity door, to be used by the attendants only. The dressingroom is approximately 10 m by 10 m, sometimes partlycovered with tatami sheets and contains the lockers forthe clothes. Often, there is a large shelf storing equip-ment for regular customers.The ceiling is very high, at 3 to 4 m. The separating wallbetween the men's and the women's side is about 2 mhigh. The dressing room also often has access to a verysmall Japanese garden with a pond, and a Japanese-styletoilet. There are a number of tables and chairs, includ-ing some coin-operated massage chairs. Usually there isalso a scale to measure weight, and sometimes height. Insome very old sentō, this scale may use the traditionalJapanese measure monme (匁, 1 monme = 3.75 g) andkan (1 kan = 1000 monme = 3.75 kg). Similarly, in oldsentō the height scale may go only to 180 cm. Local busi-ness often advertises in the sentō. The women's side usu-ally has some baby beds, andmay havemoremirrors. Thedecoration and the advertising is often gender-specific onthe different sides. There is usually a refreshment coolerhere where customers can self-serve and pay the atten-dant. Milk drinks are traditional favorites and sometimesthere is ice cream.

2.1.3 Bathing area

The bathing area is separated from the changing area bya sliding door to keep the heat in the bath. An exceptionare baths in the Okinawa region, as the weather there isusually already hot, and there is no need to keep the hot airin the bath. Sentō in Okinawa usually have no separationbetween the changing room and the bathing area or onlya small wall with an opening to pass through.The bathing area is usually tiled. Near the entrance areais a supply of small stools and buckets. There are a num-ber of washing stations at the wall and sometimes in themiddle of the room, each with usually two faucets (karan,カラン, after the Dutch word kraan for faucet), one forhot water and one for cold water, and a shower head.At the end of the room are the bathtubs, usually atleast two or three with different water temperatures, andmaybe a 'denki buro' (電気⾵呂, electric bath). In theOsaka and Kansai area the bathtubs are more often foundin the center of the room, whereas in Tokyo they are usu-ally at the end of the room. The separating wall betweenthe men and the women side is also about 2 m high. Theceiling may be 4 m high, with large windows in the top.On rare occasions the separating wall also has a smallhole. This was used to pass soap. At the wall on thefar end of the room is usually a large ceramic tile muralor painting*[2] for decoration. Most often this is MountFuji as seen in the picture to the right, but it may be a gen-eral Japanese landscape, a (faux) European landscape, ariver or ocean scene. On rarer occasions it may also showa group of warriors or a female nude on the male side.Playing children or a female beauty often decorate thewomen's side.

2.1.4 Boiler room

Behind the bathing area is the boiler room (釜場, kam-aba), where the water is heated. This may use oil or elec-tricity, or any other type of fuel such as wood chippings.The tall chimneys of the boilers are often used to locatethe sentō from far away. After the war Tokyo often hadpower outages when all bath house owners turned on theelectric water heating at the same time.

2.1.5 Sauna

Many modern sentō have a sauna with a bathtub of coldwater just outside it for cooling off afterwards. It shouldbe noted that you are expected to pay an extra fee to usethe sauna, and you will often receive a simple wristbandto signify your payment of the extra fee.

10 CHAPTER 2. SENTŌ

2.2 Etiquette

This section describes the basic procedure to use a sentō.The public bath is an area where the uninitiated can seri-ously offend or inconvenience the regulars.

2.2.1 Equipment

Taking a bath at a public sentō requires at a bare min-imum a small towel and some soap/shampoo. Atten-dants usually sell these items for 100-200 yen. Manypeople bring two towels; a handtowel for drying and ahandtowel or washcloth for washing. A nylon scrubbingcloth or scrub brush with liquid soap is normally usedfor washing. Other body hygiene products may includea pumice stone, toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving equip-ment, combs, shower caps, pomade, make up products,powder, creams, etc. Some regular customers store theirbucket of bathing equipment on open shelves in the dress-ing room.

2.2.2 Entrance and undressing

In Japan it is customary to remove one's shoes when en-tering a private home. Similarly shoes are removed be-fore entering the bathing area in a sentō. They are keptin a shoe locker. The locker is usually available free ofcharge. Afterwards bathers go through one of the twodoors depending on their gender. The men's door usuallyhas a bluish color and the kanji for man (男, otoko), andthe women's door usually has a reddish color and the kanjifor woman (⼥, onna). The fee is set at 450 yen for allsentō in Tokyo.*[3] The attendant usually provides at ex-tra cost a variety of bath products including towel, soap,shampoo, razor, and comb. Ice cream or juice from thefreezer can also be paid for here. There are usually freelockers with keys (that may be worn on the wrist into thebaths) or large baskets provided to put personal effects.

2.2.3 Bathing area

At onsen, or hot springs, the water contains minerals, andmany people do not rinse off the water from the skin, toincrease exposure to the minerals. In a regular sentō, peo-ple usually rinse off at the faucets.

2.3 Social and cultural aspects

2.3.1 Etiquette

As mentioned above, the Japanese public bath is one areawhere the uninitiated can upset regular customers by notfollowing correct bathing etiquette designed to respect

1901 image of Sentō .

others. In particular; not washing before bathing, intro-ducing soap into the bath water and horseplay. Sentōcommonly display a poster describing bathing etiquetteand procedures in Japanese or occasionally in other lan-guages for international customers.Some ports in Hokkaidō, frequently used by the Russianfishing fleet had problems with drunken Russian sailorsmisbehaving in the bath. Subsequently, a few bath houseschose not to allow foreign customers at all.

2.3.2 Tattoos

Some public baths have signs refusing entry for peoplewith tattoos. However, one may be allowed in if thetattoos are not too obvious. If one ventures to a pub-lic bathing place that is publicly owned, this should notpresent a problem as they have a duty to let all tax-paying citizens in. The original reason behind the banwas to keep out the yakuza (officially called the “vio-lence groups”by the police).*[4]

2.4 Sanitation

Japanese public baths have suffered infrequent outbreaksof dangerous Legionella bacteria. In order to prevent suchproblems, the sentō union adds chlorine to its baths. Atthe cost of higher levels of chlorine, bacteria outbreaksare practically non-existent at sentō facilities of today.

2.5 Pricing

Rules and pricing are regulated per prefecture based onlocal committees. Basic entrance fee for adults at a sentōin Tokyo is ¥450. Citing rise in oil prices as rationale,price has been raised from ¥400 (2000–2006), to ¥430(2006–2008), and again to ¥450 (2008–present).*[5]*[6]In Tokyo, the price for children to enter have remainedunchanged: 6 to 11 year olds can enter at ¥180 each,

2.6. HISTORY 11

Interior of a modern Sentō

while younger children can enter at ¥80 each. Children10 years or younger are permitted to enter the baths ofeither gender. In other prefectures, the cut off age can beas high as 12 in Hokkaidō or as low as 6 in Hyōgo.Most sentō in Tokyo also offer a premium service forwhich each facility sets its own price, usually around¥1,000. This option is usually called a sauna, since atleast sauna is included. At Civic Land Nissei, for exam-ple, the sauna option includes access to more than half ofall the facilities available.*[7]Larger scale public bathing facility types are called supersentō and kenkō land, both more expensive than sentō,while super sentō offer a more compromised price.At ¥300 per adult, the cheapest prefectures to sentōbaths are in Yamagata, Tokushima, Nagasaki, Ōita, andMiyazaki.

2.6 History

The origins of the Japanese sentō and the Japanesebathing culture in general can be traced to the Buddhisttemples in India, from where it spread to China, and fi-nally to Japan during the Nara period (710–784). *[8]

2.6.1 Nara period to Kamakura period

The Nara period to Kamakura period is defined as“reli-gious bathing”. Initially, due to its religious background,baths in Japan were usually found in a temple. Thesebaths were called yūya (湯屋, lit. hot water shop), orlater when they increased in size ōyuya (⼤湯屋, lit. bighot water shop). These baths were most often steam baths(蒸し⾵呂, mushiburo, lit. steam bath). While initiallythese baths were only used by priests, sick people grad-ually also gained access, until in the Kamakura period(1185–1333) sick people were routinely allowed access tothe bath house. Wealthy merchants and members of theupper class soon also included baths in their residences.

2.6.2 Kamakura period

The first mentioning of a commercial bath house is in1266 in the Nichiren Goshoroku (⽇蓮御書録). Thesemixed-sex bath houses were only vaguely similar to mod-ern bath houses. After entering the bath, there was achanging room called datsuijo (脱⾐場). There the cus-tomer also received his/her ration of hot water, since therewere no faucets in the actual bath. The entrance to thesteam bath was only a very small opening with a height ofabout 80 cm, so that the heat did not escape. Due to thesmall opening, the lack of windows, and the thick steam,these baths were usually very dark, and customers oftencleared their throats to signal their position to others.

2.6.3 Edo period

Onna yu (“BathhouseWomen”) by Torii Kiyonaga (1752–1815)

At the beginning of the Edo period (1603–1867), therewere two types of baths common to the eastern andwestern regions of Japan respectively. In Edo (presentday Tokyo), bath houses contained sizable pools, andwere called yuya (湯屋, lit. hot water shop). In Osaka,however, bathing establishments were primarily steambaths called mushiburo (蒸し⾵呂, lit. steam bath) thathad only shallow pools.At the end of the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate(1603–1868) at different times required baths to segre-gate by sex in order to ensure public moral standards.However, many bath house owners merely partitionedtheir baths with a small board, allowing some voyeurismto persist. Other baths avoided this problem by havingmen and women bathe at different times of day, or bycatering to one gender exclusively. In spite of this, lawsregarding mixed-sex bathing were soon relaxed again.Contributing to the popularity of public baths in the Edoperiod were female bathing attendants known as yuna(湯⼥, lit. hot water women). These attendants helpedcleanse customers by scrubbing their backs. After officialclosing hours, however, a number of these women wouldperform additional services by selling sex to male cus-

12 CHAPTER 2. SENTŌ

tomers. Similarly, some brothels in contemporary Japanhave women who specialize in bathing with and cleansingmale clientele. Such establishments are often called sōpurando (ソープランド, soapland).As a preventive measure against prostitution, the Toku-gawa shogunate stipulated that no more than three yunaserve at any given bath house. However, this rule waswidely ignored, causing the shogunate to ban female at-tendants from bath houses altogether and once again pro-hibit the practice of mixed-sex bathing. Large numbersof unemployed yuna thereafter moved to official red-lightdistricts, where they could continue their services. Upuntil 1870, there were also male washing assistants calledsansuke (三助, lit. three helps) who would wash andmas-sage customers of both genders. Unlike the yuna, thesemale attendants were not known to engage in prostitution.Mixed-sex bathing was prohibited once again afterCommodore Perry visited Japan in 1853 and 1854̶drawing question to the morality of the practice.

2.6.4 Meiji period

Bathing in an Agricultural School in Japan around 1920

During the Meiji period (1867–1912) the design ofJapanese baths changed considerably. The narrow en-trance to the bathing area was widened considerably toa regular-sized sliding door, the bathtubs were sunk par-tially in the floor so that they could be enteredmore easily,and the height of the ceiling of the bath house was thendoubled. Since the bath now focused on hot water in-stead of steam, windows could be added, and the bathingarea became much brighter. The only difference betweenthese baths and the modern bath was the use of wood forthe bathing area and the lack of faucets.Furthermore, another law for segregated bathing waspassed in 1890, allowing only children below the age of8 to join a parent of the opposite sex.

2.6.5 Rebuilding

At the beginning of the Taishō period (1912–1926), tilesgradually replaced wooden floors and walls in new bathhouses. On September 1, 1923 the great Kantō earth-quake devastated Tokyo. The earthquake and the subse-quent fire destroyed most baths in the Tokyo area. Thisaccelerated the change from wooden baths to tiled baths,as almost all new bath houses were now built in the newstyle using tiled bathing areas. At the end of the Taishōperiod, faucets also became more common, and this typeof faucet can still be seen today. These faucets were calledkaran (カラン, after the Dutch word kraan for faucet).There were two faucets, one for hot water and one for coldwater, and the customer mixed the water in his bucket ac-cording to his personal taste.

2.6.6 Golden era

Entrance of a typical sentō in Tokyo

During World War II (for Japan 1941–1945), manyJapanese cities were damaged. Subsequently, most bathhouses were destroyed along with the cities. The lack ofbaths caused the reappearance of communal bathing, andtemporary baths were constructed with the available ma-terial, often lacking a roof. Furthermore, as most houseswere damaged or destroyed, few people had access to aprivate bath, resulting in a great increase in customers forthe bath houses. New buildings in the post war periodalso often lacked baths or showers, leading to a strong in-crease in the number of public baths. In 1965 many bathsalso added showerheads to the faucets in the baths. Thenumber of public baths in Japan peaked around 1970.

2.6.7 Decline

Immediately after World War II, resources were scarceand few homeowners had access to a private bath. Privatebaths began to be more common around 1970, and mostnew buildings included a bath and shower unit for everyapartment. Easy access to private baths led to a decline

2.9. FURTHER READING 13

in customers for public bath houses, and subsequently thenumber of bath houses is decreasing. Some Japaneseyoung people today are embarrassed to be seen naked,and avoid public baths for this reason. Some Japanese areconcerned that without the "skinship" of mutual naked-ness, children will not be properly socialized.

2.6.8 Future

While the traditional sentō is in decline, many bath houseoperators have adjusted to the new taste of the public andare offering a wide variety of experiences. Some bathhouses emphasize their tradition, and run traditionally-designed bath houses to appeal to clientele seeking thelost Japan. These bath houses are also often located inscenic areas and may include an open-air bath. Some alsotry drilling in order to gain access to a hot spring, turninga regular bath house into a more prestigious onsen.Other bath houses with less pristine buildings or settingschange into so called super sentō and try to offer a widervariety of services beyond the standard two or three bath-tubs. They may include a variety of saunas, reintroducesteam baths, include jacuzzis, and may even have a waterslide. They may also offer services beyond mere cleans-ing, and turn into a spa, offering medical baths, massages,mud baths, fitness centers, etc., as for example the SpaLaQua at the Tokyo Dome City entertainment complex.There are also entire bath house theme parks, includingrestaurants, karaoke, and other entertainment, as for ex-ample the Ōedo Onsen Monogatari (⼤江⼾温泉物語,Big Edo Hot Spring Story) in Odaiba, Tokyo. (Note: TheŌedo Onsen Monogatari is not a sentō.) Some of thesemodern facilities may require the use of swimsuits andare similar to a water park.

2.7 See also

• Furo

• Hot spring

• Jjimjilbang

• Mikveh

• Taiwanese hot springs

• Sauna

2.8 References[1] "設備で検索". 1010.or.jp. Retrieved 2014-07-31.

[2] Written by Ryoko.“Sento Art: Public Bath House Paint-ings | PingMag : Art, Design, Life – from Japan”. Ping-mag.jp. Retrieved 2014-07-31.

[3] Tokyo Sentō Union website

[4] Find out what an onsen is.“OnsenWarnings and Hassles”. Japan-onsen.com. Retrieved 2014-07-31.

[5] " 都内の銭湯４３０円に − 原油⾼騰で６年ぶり値上げ -平⺠新聞". D.hatena.ne.jp. 2006-05-10. Re-trieved 2014-07-31.

[6] 東京都内の銭湯、⼊浴料⾦が 450円に 20円の値上げ. June 3, 2008. Nikkei BP

[7] " シビックランド⽇成 (Civic Land Nissei)". Super-sento.com. Retrieved 2014-07-31.

[8] About “Sento”Japanese communal bath house TokyoSento Association

2.9 Further reading• Aaland, Mikkel. Sweat: The Illustrated History andDescription of the Finnish Sauna, Russian Bania,Islamic Hammam, Japanese Mushi-Buro, MexicanTemescal, and American Indian & Eskimo SweatLodge. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Capra Press, 1978.ISBN 0-88496-124-9. (Reprint) San Bernardino,Calif.: Borgo Press, 1989. ISBN 0-8095-4023-1.

• Brue, Alexia. Cathedrals of the Flesh: In Searchof the Perfect Bath. New York: Bloomsbury USA,2003. ISBN 1-58234-116-8.

• Clark, Scott. Japan, a View from the Bath. Hon-olulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1994. ISBN 0-8248-1657-9.

• Koren, Leonard. How to Take a Japanese Bath.Berkeley, Calif.: Stone Bridge Press, 1992. ISBN0-9628137-9-6.

• Smith, Bruce, and Yoshiko Yamamoto. TheJapanese Bath. Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith, Pub-lisher, 2001. ISBN 1-58685-027-X.

• Talmadge, Eric. Getting Wet: Adventures in theJapanese Bath. Tokyo; New York: Kodansha In-ternational, 2006. ISBN 4-7700-3020-7.

2.10 External links• Sento Guide Guide to public baths in Japan

• Kyoto Baths Public bath houses in Kyoto

• www.OnsenJapan.net Interactive Google map ofJapanese baths with easy-to-read icons, pictures, andreviews

• Search for Sento (Public Bath) Tokyo Travel Guide,Sunnypages.jp

• OTA Navi Ota Tourist Association

Chapter 3

Ashiyu

An ashiyu at Kagoshima Airport

An ashiyu (⾜湯) is a Japanese public bath in which peo-ple can bathe their feet. The majority of ashiyu are free.

• An electric ashiyu foot bath sold in a departmentstore

3.1 Outline

The term ashiyu is a combination of the two characters“ashi”⾜meaning“foot”, and“yu”湯meaning“hotwater”.Many ashiyu are set up on street corners in towns withhot springs (onsen). People can easily enjoy them with-out having to remove all their clothing. They can also befound at railway stations, rest areas, and parks. Whilemost foot baths are free, at some places a small donationor fee under 200 yen is required.An ashiyu is different from a normal hot spring. At a hotspring the entire body is immersed in the water, but at an“ashiyu”(foot bath) only the feet and legs up to the kneesare immersed. Despite this difference, a foot bath can stillwarm the entire body because of the large veins that runthrough the legs. Before using a footbath, shoes and socksmust be removed. Rolling up pants to the knees is alsoa common practice. However, unlike a hot spring wherewashing the body with soap before entering the bath is a

requirement, this is not required at a foot bath. There arefoot baths with changing rooms, but they are extremelyrare. In some places, a part of the ashiyu can be used tosoak the hands“teyu”(hand bath).At Kannawa Hot Spring's “Steam Foot Bath”in OitaPrefecture, and Sukayu Hot Spring's“Manjufukashi”inAomori Prefecture, the steam from the hot spring is usedto warm the body.

3.2 See also• Onsen

3.3 External links

Media related to Ashiyu at Wikimedia Commons

14

Chapter 4

Furo

For furo (⾵ ), the hearth used in Japanese teaceremony, see List of Japanese tea ceremony equip-ment#Hearths.

Furo (⾵呂), the more common and polite form:

Senmyō ( 明), furo of Shōkoku-ji (built 1400, reconstruction1596) in Kyoto, Japan

ofuro (お⾵呂), is a Japanese bath. Specifically it isa type of bath which originated as a short, steep-sidedwooden bathtub. Baths of this type are found all overJapan in houses, apartments and traditional Japanese inns(ryokans) but are now usually made out of a plastic orstainless steel.A furo differs from a conventional Western bathtub bybeing of a deeper construction, typically in the regionof 0.6 m (25 inches). The sides are generally squarerather than being sloped. They generally have no over-flow drainage. Traditional pot shaped cast iron furo wereheated by a wood-burning stove built-in below them.Furo (or yubune (湯船) that specifically refer to the bathwith water) are usually left filled with water overnight,and for some household the water reused or recycled forwashing clothes the next day. As in the West, it was thecustom for more than one member of the family to usethe same bath water and therefore, for the Japanese, itwas important to be completely clean before entering thebath. This type of furo was the precursor of the modernWestern-style hot tub.Furo are part of the Japanese ritual of bathing, not meant

A traditional private furo in a ryokan in Kyoto

for washing but rather for relaxing and warming oneself.Washing is carried out separately outside the yubune. Thebather should enter the water only after rinsing or lightlyshowering. Generally Japanese bathrooms are small byWestern standards, so the bathroom is set up much like awalk-in shower area but containing the furo. Since thebathroom is a complete wet-area, in modern buildingsand ryokan heating is provided by air conditioners over-head. The water is hot, usually approximately 100 to 108degrees F (38 to 42 degrees Celsius).A modern furo may be made of acrylic, and the top ofthe range models fitted with a re-circulation system whichfilters and re-heats the water. This system is connectedwith the hot water heater, either for gas/propane fired orelectric/heat-pump types. Luxury models are still madeout of traditional or expensive woods like hinoki, and canbe retrofitted with Western-style fittings and used as sig-nature pieces by architects and interior designers interna-

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16 CHAPTER 4. FURO

A modern acrylic furo in a Japanese apartment

tionally.

4.1 See also• Onsen (bathing facility at hot springs)

• Sentō (communal bath house)

4.2 External links• Japanese Guest Houses: Japanese Bathing Etiquette

• Ofuro Etiquette

• SentoGuide: A guide to public baths in Japan

• Kyoto Baths: Public bath houses in Kyoto

Chapter 5

Ganban'yoku

Ganban'yoku (岩盤浴) is Japanese term for a popularform of hot stone spa. It is said to have originated inThailand.Body-sized stones, such as granite, are inserted into thefloor and heated. Bathers lie clothed on the stones whiletheir bodies gradually heat up.Like low temperature saunas, ganban'yoku are commonlyadvertised to have a detoxification effect, improve thecirculatory system and are good for the skin. A gan-ban'yoku room in a spa would typically be visited afterthe baths and would be in a clothing-on area with mixedgenders.Many spa facilities, including Spa LaQua at Tokyo DomeCity, have ganban'yoku rooms.

5.1 References

5.2 External links• About ganban-yoku

17

Chapter 6

Sansuke

Sansuke (三助) are the working staff that provide manyservices at the Zeniyu (銭湯 public bathhouse) in Japan.

6.1 Origin of the word

In Japanese Sansuke means three kinds of services, ka-mataki (stoking of the boiler), yukagen wo miru (check-ing the temperature of the bath water), and bandai(feecollection). It was an occasional duty for the Sansuke toprovide the service of washing off dirt or brushing for cus-tomers. For this reason, the image Sansuke = the service tothe visitor in the bathhouse was generalized emphasizingthis role.When smallpox was occurring around in Nara era, theKohmyo Kougou (光明皇后 Empress Kohmyo ), theShohmu Tennoh (聖武天皇 Emperor Shomu) 's empress,build the bathhouse and devoid to the treatment of the pa-tients by herself. Three chamberlains helped the Empressduring that time. They called them Sansuke(三典), andthis name became the origin of Sansuke (三助) there-after. *[1] During the Edo era, a Genan (下男 manser-vant), or Komono (⼩者 humble servant) was wildly de-scribed as Sansuke too.*[2]

6.2 Sansuke in premodern times

Until the early Edo era, these services were provided by aYuna girl, but gradually it changed to sexual services. Atthat time, Okami (the government) inhibited these ser-vices.With the prohibition of the Yuna girl, the role was re-placed by a Sansuke boy. Sansuke was a supreme classof the male servants who serve a master of the zeniyu.To become a sansuke, there were several precursor roles:the collector of firewood, the boiler man, and Yuban, thechecker of the bath temperature and so on. .*[3] Yubanhad the important work of checking the congestion de-gree of the bath or bathroom in addition to above workand it was possible to become a Sansuke by gaining a lotof experience.*[3]

6.3 Nagashi

The service of washing off the dirt and brushing done bya Sansuke is Nagashi. When announced by Bandai thatthere are customers who want his service, a Sansuke laveshot water into Oke and calls the customers in. In casethere are many customers, the Sensuke must take care ofthe waiting list and must wash the customers swiftly. TheSansuke offers service for both men and women; he maybe required to work in crowds of naked woman, wherebyhe must adopt the mental training to prevent himself fromhaving an erection in front of women. *[4] It is said thatwomen were not ashamed of his eyes.*[4]When the washing service was done and received a tagfrom customer, his work was accomplished. His per-centage of pay was based according to the number onthe tag.*[3] The Sansuke belonged to a higher economicbracket in Sento and were considered to be gentlemen.

6.4 Kodakara no yu and Sansuke

Kodakara-yu in Edo Tokyo Tatemono en

In various parts of Japan, there existed Kodakara no Yu(the magical spa where the infertile women are able toconceive). Nowadays it is thought the magic was thatthe Sansuke engaged in sex with a female customer andmade her pregnant. If the cause of the woman's inabilityto conceive was due to the husband's infertility, then theSansuke would allow for a successful pregnancy to occur.

18

6.8. REFERENCES 19

(Not that the Sansuke or the spa had any magical powers,the Sansuke fathered the child).During the Edo era, people had different priorities. Forwomen, it was of paramount importance to leave thehousehold with a son and heir; thus, they had to becomepregnant by some way. A daughter-in-law who had notyet produced a son would be given directions to go Ko-dakara no yu impliedly by mother-in-law and father.

6.5 Sansuke during early-moderntimes

Aka-suri or massage was called a Nagashi, and it reachedheights of prosperity in the middle of the Showa era; dur-ing this time it was considered to be a luxury. But accord-ing to diffusion of boiler or bath in general household, theneed for Sansuke was diminished and the service of Na-gashi ebbed away. *[5]

6.6 Sansuke of today

According to Shinobu Machida (町⽥忍), the historianof zeniyu, there is a only sansuke at Saitoh yu (⻫藤湯) inTokyo Japan. His name is Mr. Shusei Tachibana (橘秀雪). He gives service for both men and women now. Ofcourse they do not engage in side work (that is to say, thepre-modern fertility treatment), they giveAkasuri or mas-sage treatment only. At work, Sansuke put on Sarumata(Japanese briefs); in former days Sansuke put Fundoshi(breechcloth), his style was thought naughty by women.*[6]

6.7 Reference books

• NHK教育『知るを楽しむ歴史に好奇⼼』あ〜極楽の銭湯史 -第 3回

• ⼩野武雄 1977『江⼾の遊戯⾵俗図誌』

• ⾚松啓介 1994『夜這いの⺠俗学』

• ⾚松啓介 VS上野千鶴⼦『猥談: 近代⽇本の下半⾝』

• 吉⽥忠,深瀬泰旦編『東と⻄の医療⽂化』--思⽂閣出版, 2001.

• 中野栄三『⼊浴・銭湯の歴史』雄⼭閣出版、1984年、（雄⼭閣 BOOKS No.16）ISBN 4-639-00311-0

• 笹川潔 1912『前⼩景』敬⽂館書房*[7]

6.8 References[1] 浜野卓也『光明皇后』さ・え・ら書房、1981年 ISBN

978-4-378-02103-4

[2] ⼤辞泉

[3] 中野栄三『⼊浴・銭湯の歴史』雄⼭閣出版、1984年、175-178⾴

[4] 永六輔 1971『極道まんだら』⽂芸春秋

[5] 【仕事⼈】⽇本で唯⼀の銭湯の流し・橘秀雪さん（71）江⼾っ⼦の背中⾒つめて（産経ニュース）-−2009年 5⽉ 31⽇

[6] ｢スーパーモーニング 2009年 6⽉ 25⽇放送

[7] 明治時代に出版された、⼥湯に三助が存在する淫靡な⾵習を批判する書。

20 CHAPTER 6. SANSUKE

6.9 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

6.9.1 Text• Onsen Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onsen?oldid=630759241 Contributors: The Anome, Ixfd64, Pde, Jovan, KAMiKAZOW,Jpatokal, Emperorbma, Wik, SEWilco, Tlotoxl, Yas, Chris 73, JustinHall, Ashley Y, Takanoha, DocWatson42, Haeleth, Rick Block,Revth, Nayuki, Coldacid, Andycjp, Alexf, Kusunose, Jeshii, Vbs, Fg2, Guncheol, Bendono, Kappa, Pearle, Geomr, Sjschen, Tancred,Evil Monkey, Itsmine, Galaxiaad, Tristessa de St Ange, Armagebedar, Tokek, Rjwilmsi, Phileas, SchuminWeb, Trekkie4christ, Atitarev,Andrew Eisenberg, Abarenbo, Gdrbot, RussBot, Bleakcomb, Koffieyahoo, Gaius Cornelius, Dapal, Z. Dan, DAJF, GeoffCapp, Caerwine,Black Falcon, JSLR, Enni84, DVD R W, Neier, SmackBot, Nihonjoe, Delldot, Kintetsubuffalo, Psykotrol, Hmains, Simon-in-sagamihara(usurped), Pengawsai, Bluebot, Exitmoose, Snori, CSWarren, Nbarth, Colonies Chris, Textex, Malnova, Midori, Dharmabum420, Kat-suhagi, Waggers, Ryulong, Udibi, Hetar, Melander, Flamelai, Jason7825, Hawkestone, CmdrObot, Alex Shih, Ken Gallager, Cydebot,663highland, Bobo12345, Coder.keitaro, Ikahime, Barticus88, Anupam, Douggers, Heroeswithmetaphors, Piccolissima, JAnDbot, Dun-canHill, Andonic, Exairetos, Dekimasu, The Anomebot2, 1549bcp, Saganaki-, Viralxtreme14, CommonsDelinker, FourTildes, EdBever,Gladys j cortez, Filll, BrokenSphere, Amake, Pygenot, J Readings, Fuurinkazan, Kokizzzle, Hugo999, Midnightbrewer, Zaileron, Dagari,Sushiya, BrianAdler, BilabialBoxing, Temporaluser, Markmark28, Northfox, Esseh, AkioMtFuji, PbBot, Adventarian, Laughlikecrazy42,Kemukemu, WurmWoode, Naishoya, OccamzRazor, Namazu-tron, Sonoe, Canis Lupus, Igorberger, John Nevard, Gassho, Owencunn,Kuidaore, Versus22, Blogstrings, Josi.ow, XLinkBot, Wikiskiman, Ost316, Sanji japan, Addbot, Brumski, Lets Enjoy Life, Chzz, Zor-robot, Jarble, Luckas-bot, Themfromspace, Kinouya, Gongshow, Onsenjapan, Koizoomi, Citation bot, Lasfhence, Xqbot, Bluesearch,Dougofborg, Seibun, Citation bot 1, Jonesey95, Lotje, Ykargin, STA3816, EmausBot, John of Reading, Look2See1, GoingBatty, YourLord and Master, Bxj, Erianna, Soica2001, ChuispastonBot, Crown Prince, Gary Dee, ClueBot NG, Shunya=0, Jyo81, Helpful Pixie Bot,Thesoulofjapan, Emadimig, Earth Wikipedian, JeromRP, Kumanosanzan, STRONGlk7, Rt1857rt1857, Star767, Makkachin, Monkbot,Bigrigdan, JPNEX and Anonymous: 137

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• Furo Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furo?oldid=622740364 Contributors: Nurg, Cornellier, Exploding Boy, Kusunose, Graham87,BD2412, Kajmal, SmackBot, Nihonjoe, Kintetsubuffalo, Mcaruso, LeoNomis, Ryulong, Wouterkloos, RolfSander, Mind meal, Idioma-bot, TXiKiBoT, Oda Mari, Kanesue, ClueBot, Tmol42, HexaChord, Addbot, Momiji usagi, Lightbot, Estudiarme, Gbiddy, Seibun, Bound-aryRider, Phoenix7777, Maneko, Bxj, Tsuchiya Hikaru, Sakura-iro no namida, Isabelle Kephart, ChrisGualtieri and Anonymous: 21

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• Sansuke Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sansuke?oldid=619222450 Contributors: BD2412, Rjwilmsi, DAJF, Escarbot, VolkovBot,EoGuy, Sun Creator, Dthomsen8, Addbot, Ironholds, Luckas-bot, Yobot, AnomieBOT, Fern 24, Phoenix7777, Tea with toast, Your Lordand Master, A Japanologist, Bxj and Mark Arsten

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6.9. TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES 21

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22 CHAPTER 6. SANSUKE

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