Public Bathhouses in Japan: Information Space, Gendered Economy, and the Transformation of Social Life

This article examines the socio-economic evolution of Japanese public bathhouses (sento) as dual spaces of the gendered economy and cultural exchange. Rooted in Shinto and Buddhist purification rituals, sento evolved from medieval religious sites into Edo-era commercial hubs that fostered communal ties and served as informal “information libraries” for commoners. Mixed bathing (konyoku), initially driven by economic necessity, became increasingly associated with eroticism through the labor of female attendants (yuna), revealing a gendered economy in which women’s bodies were commodified to sustain male productivity. During the Meiji period, modernization redefined sento as hygienic institutions, yet they persisted as resilient cultural symbols amid urbanization. A comparative analysis with Roman baths and Chinese teahouses highlights how sento connect religion, commerce, and gender relations while continually adapting to shifting notions of public and private life without losing their distinctive social functions.