Official

Trace of Zenibe Bridge (former explanation board)

Zenbe Bridge is a bridge that was built on a moat called Dosanbori, which was excavated as a transportation route to Edo Castle. This old explanation board headed west on Edo Sakura-dori St. in Nihonbashi, crossed the south side of Tokiwa Bridge, and was a little further. The statue of Eiichi Shibusawa at Tokiwa Bridge Park, which can be seen behind, may be some people who know somewhere here.

In Joshin Miura's Sozuro Monogatari, which describes customs in the early Edo period, in 1591 (1591), the year after Ieyasu Tokugawa entered Edo, "Yoichi Ise (Yoichi Ise) There is a senta bath on the banks of Zenibe Bridge.

It is known that there were many merchants from Ise country in the town of Edo, but it was Ise people who first opened a bathhouse in Edo. It is thought that the bath was a steam bath because it was written, "I can't breathe and I can't see it because of the smoke."

This neighborhood is certainly in the Nihonbashi area, but this is Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku. The ruins of Senbobashi, the birthplace of the public baths in Edo, will not be listed as a town walking spot in "Chuo-ku Monoshiri Encyclopedia".

In the past few years, the explanation board of Chiyoda-ku has been reborn, and the description of the bathhouse in the old explanation board has been omitted, but English notation has been added, and Hiroshige Utagawa painted the Zenibashi `` Famous Edo Hundred Views Yatsumi no Hashi "and a global cultural property sign that shows the terrain surrounding Edo Castle.

Hiroshige Utagawa "Famous Edo Hundred Views Eight Views of Eight Views"
From the Digital Collection of the National Diet Library

By the way, there are two public baths in Tokyo that have been open since the Edo period. Akebonoyu in Funabori, Edogawa-ku, and we are Konparuyu in Ginza, Chuo-ku.

In addition, there was Jakotsuyu in Asakusa, Taito-ku, but in May 2019, Snakeboneyu ended its long history with regret. I feel the stylish spirit of the shop owner that has been in operation since the Edo period until the new era, Reiwa, even a month alone.

This time, I would like to introduce Kinharuyu, one of the Tokyo public baths that have been open since the Edo period.

Ginza 8-chome, Kinharu Street. Kinharuyu is located in the Kinharu Building. The name of the house is derived from the fact that there was a residence of the Noh actor Kinharu family in this area during the Edo period.

Nowadays, building public baths and condominium public baths are not unusual, but when they were rebuilt in 1957 (1957), they were new and the tallest building around.

Kinharuyu was founded in 1863 (1863). In fact, for nearly 160 years, we have been operating public baths in Ginza.

Since 1863 is the year when President Lincoln gave a famous speech in the United States, I would like to call Kinharuyu "a public bath for Edokko by Edokko's Edokko". You.

The painting tiles that color the washing area are Kutani porcelain. It is made by Shosen painter of Suzueido in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, and it is a very beautiful tile that you can see at the Tokyo public bath built in the Showa era.

The walls of the bathroom are painted pictures of Mount Fuji, a classic Tokyo public bath. men's bath depicts a powerful red Fuji, and ladies' bath depicts a different figure from the elegant snow-covered Fuji. This is a work by a roller painter, Morio Nakajima, a public bath painter, and you can watch the production on the Kinharuyu homepage.

After the event "TOKYO SENTO Festival 2020" held in 2021, each motif was redesigned as it was. As of June 2022, ladies' bath is the spring Fuji waiting for the thaw of cherry blossoms in full bloom.

Painting of Mount Fuji (ladies' bath) ※Before re-drawing

The custom of painting on the wall of this public bath was started in Tokyo during the Taisho era. The first thing I started was a public bath called Kikaiyu, which was located next to Chiyoda-ku, and a storage plate and explanation board of the town are installed in Sarugakucho, Chiyoda-ku.

Town Memory Preservation Plate Guide: The first paint painting in a public bath (Chiyoda-ku)

The paint paintings drawn on the entire large wall quickly gained a reputation, and public baths throughout Tokyo began to follow this. It is said that Mount Fuji was depicted at this time. It was only after I was an adult that I learned that "Mount Fuji of the public bath" is unique to Tokyo and is rarely seen in other prefectures.

Kikai Water Remains

Senbobashi, where Edo's first public bath was located, is located in the direction overlooking Mount Fuji from Surugacho, which was claimed to be the best view in Edo, and as depicted in "Famous Edo Hundred Views Yatsumi no Hashi". At that time, you should have clearly seen the real Mount Fuji from there.

Mount Fuji with snow makeup (real)

When Yoichi Ise built a bath, did you imagine people taking a bath in Tokyo 400 years later, watching Mount Fuji drawn on the wall? Considering such things, I feel a certain kind of romanticism that leads from Edo to Tokyo. I see, this is a bus romance. ※No, not.

I would like to tell you more about it. It is a healing item unique to ladies' bath. An aroma diffuser is casually fired in the dressing room, and it has a good scent from nowhere. This essential oil is an original blend inspired by Kinharuyu, so it is an aromatic bath that cannot be experienced elsewhere.

And pay attention to the hair dryer. Handicap hair dryers that many people use repeatedly in public baths are renewed at a frequency that is not comparable to ordinary households. Kinharuyu has high-performance models whenever you visit, so you can see your commitment.

It is one of the oldest public baths in Tokyo, but the state-of-the-art facilities. You can try this for a very normal usage fee of 20 yen for 3 minutes. If you are an Edo kid, you want to say, "Thank you for this guy."

Ginza 8-chome is also close to Shimbashi Station, and Kinharuyu is open until 22:00 on weekdays. You can make a smart flohing (take a bath) that combines with a walking walk in the back alley.

After walking around the town, let's sweat in a public bath. ※Please do not take a bath after drinking as it is dangerous.

Konpuruyu
8-7-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku Kinharu Building
０３－３５７１－５４６９
From 14:00 to 22:00 (until 20:00 on Saturday)
Sunday holiday regular holidays

For the latest information such as temporary closures and changes in business hours, please check the Kinharuyu Facebook page.

Click here for a list of public baths in Chuo-ku
Central Bath Association Official Website Fureai no Yu http://www.268chuou.com/

Where was the first public bath in the Edo period? Why do you call a bathtub a "tub"? Mr. by yaz (April 2020)

Yoshiwara Sozoro Monogatari by Cairy (February 2019)

Edited by the Japan Sento Cultural Association, "Sento Certification Official Text 1 Revised Edition: Bath Culture Learned from History and Architecture", supervised by Shinobu Machida and Isamu Yoneyama, Soryusha, 2020.

Kokusho Publication Society, "Early Modern Customs Watching Book First" Kokusho Publication Society, 1912, pp.12-13.

[New York Times] Jishiyu, a miraculous public bath born in the New Century [Nihonbashikodenmacho] (July 21, 2019)

[New York Times] Let's play Onsen tour at Tokyo Sento (July 12, 2019)

A little New York Times - a town walk to enjoy with a public bath - (October 8, 2018)

High-end bathing information for Executive Zhu Walkers――
――Only the "Chorror Blog" can read the Ofuro Newspaper New York Times!

※This article has nothing to do with high-end daily newspapers in the United States.