More Than Murals: The Artist Keeping Japan’s Bathhouse Art Alive

Sentos are public bathhouses with a long and rich history in Japanese culture. Traditionally, tranquil, hand-painted murals adorned the walls of each sento. These murals, which often depict soothing blue water, pastel-green landscapes and Mount Fuji, are designed to lift bathers’ spirits and relax their minds. Since the 1970s, however, sentos have become less popular and bathhouse muralists are less in demand. Yet Mizuki Tanaka—Japan’s first female sento mural artist—is dedicated to revitalizing this craft and making Japan’s bathhouses a destination for all once more.

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