※As part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum will be closed until May 31.
Since the Edo period, public bathhouses have been centers of rest and relaxation, and have evolved throughout the ages. The Public Bathhouse "Kodakara-yu" (1929) was relocated from Senju Motomachi in Adachi Ward for preservation at the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum. Kodakara-yu’s lively décor and temple-like appearance makes it a definitive example of the “Tokyo-style bathhouse.” Kodakara-yu abounds with flourishes to put bath-goers at ease, such as the veranda and garden outside the dressing rooms, the charming painted tiles, and its classic mural of Mt. Fuji. As Japan continues to change, seeing the end of the Heisei Era and the start of the Reiwa Era, and the number of bathhouses dwindle, those that remain offer people warmth, hope and a sense of community. Our public bathhouse exhibition explores the history of public bathhouses in Tokyo, and the impact and role they have played in society.
Kodakara-yu Public Bathhouse
❶List of hot spring benefits per-region (Edo-Tokyo Museum)
❷Depiction of events through the year (Edo-Tokyo Museum)
❸Architectural drawing of a bathhouse (Edo-Tokyo Museum)
❹Takara-yu bathhouse under construction (Takara-yu Bathhouse)
❺Kerorin wash basin (Private collection)
❻Reverse glass painting; A Sengoku Warlord Yamauchi Kazutoyo and his wife (Edo-Tokyo Museum)
❼Reverse glass painting; A loyal retainer Ōishi Kuranosuke and his lover Okaru (Edo-Tokyo Museum)
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❺“Kerorin®” is a registered trademark of Naigai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Naigai Pharmaceutical was succeeded by Toyamamegumi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
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❶List of hot spring benefits per-region (Edo-Tokyo Museum)
❷Depiction of events through the year (Edo-Tokyo Museum)
❸Architectural drawing of a bathhouse (Edo-Tokyo Museum)
❹Takara-yu bathhouse under construction (Takara-yu Bathhouse)
❺Kerorin wash basin (Private collection)
❻Reverse glass painting; A Sengoku Warlord Yamauchi Kazutoyo and his wife (Edo-Tokyo Museum)
❼Reverse glass painting; A loyal retainer Ōishi Kuranosuke and his lover Okaru (Edo-Tokyo Museum)
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