Visiting A Bathhouse - 風呂や (1)

Titled Visiting a Bathhouse (風呂屋), this genre scene depicts figures associated with the public bathhouse (sentô), a central institution of daily life in Meiji Tokyo and a subject with roots in Edo-period genre printmaking. Shuntei's treatment likely focuses on the social and domestic rituals surrounding the bath rather than the bath itself—figures preparing to depart, wrapping themselves in yukata, or carrying wooden bathing implements. The composition belongs to a tradition of scenes from merchant-class daily life that descend from Edo [ukiyo-e](/glossary/ukiyo-e) genre work but are updated in Shuntei's hands with Meiji-period costume, hairstyles, and architectural detail. Technically, skin tones in figure prints like this required carefully modulated flesh-color blocks, often printed in two layers to achieve warmth without heaviness. The designation (1) suggests this is the first sheet in a multi-sheet bathhouse series.