"Smiles of Civilization" Senryu (17) 〽 A fool envies the mixed-gender bath
〽 When the wife comes along with the child, he claps his hands.
〽 In the bath, clapping hands is the thermometer.
* "Kaka" means wife.
〽 Peeking into the women's bath through a gap, what a fool.
〽 There are no babies crying in the men's bath.
〽 To the women's bath, he mimics voices to make himself heard.
〽 A fool, envious of the mixed-gender bath.
* "Irikomi-no-yu" refers to a public bath where men and women bathe together. Also known as "irigomiyu." In Tokyo Prefecture, mixed-gender bathing was prohibited in 1869. Reference: "History of Tokyo City, City Section 50" and "Modern Chronicles" (National Diet Library Digital Collections). * "Kenarigari" means to be envious. Reference: "Dai Nihon Kokugo Jiten, Vol. 2 (
kenarigaru)" (National Diet Library Digital Collections).
〽 A bath fart separates at the buttocks and meets at the shoulders.
〽 He cannot even get his wife to scrub his back.
[Reference] The state of the men's bath: "There are no babies crying in the men's bath."
It seems that once children were old enough to walk, fathers would take them into the men's bath to look after them. The sight of father and child depicted in Takizawa Bakin's "Ukiyoburo" is heartwarming, isn't it?
* Reference: "Ukiyoburo (Yuhodo Bunko)" (National Diet Library Digital Collections)
Author's Note: ● indicates characters that could not be deciphered. I will update this as I decipher new characters or notice typos/misreadings. For more details, please read "Self-Introduction/Disclaimer." 📖