Public Bathhouse Illustrations

Honami Enya worked as a bathhouse manager at Kosugiyu, a public bathhouse in Koenji, Tokyo, and continued to depict the charm of bathhouses as buildings from her unique perspective. Based on that experience, "Sento Zukai" (Public Bathhouse Diagrams) is a book that visualizes the structure of the bathing area, the mechanisms of the facilities, the flow of movement, and even the detailed designs, with accurate yet warm hand-drawn illustrations.

The precision of architectural drawings intersects with the observational eye cultivated through daily work, bringing the interior of the public bathhouse to life in three dimensions. The mechanisms and ingenuity beyond the steam are organized, allowing readers to feel how meticulously designed the public bathhouse space is and how it has supported people's lives.

Not only is it a compelling read as a diagrammatic explanation, but it also holds high value as an archive documenting a disappearing urban landscape. It's a book that quietly resonates with anyone who loves public bathhouses, is interested in architecture, or follows urban culture.

[Title] Sento Zukai (Public Bathhouse Diagrams)
[Publisher] Chuo Koron Shinsha
[Publication Date] February 25, 2019 (First Edition)
[Page Count] 128 pages
[Size] Approx. 21 x 15 x 1.3 cm, 0.25 kg
[Format] Softcover
[Title Reading] SENTO ZUKAI
[Author/Editor] Honami Enya / Author
[Printing] Dai Nippon Printing
[ISBN] 978-4-12-005169-2
[Condition] Used [5] Good (Cover: slight dirt, minor stains)
[Accessories] Obi (book band)
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Honami Enya

After working at an architectural design office and then at Kosugiyu, a public bathhouse in Koenji, she became active as a painter.

She garnered a large response by publishing her "Sento Zukai" (Public Bathhouse Diagrams) series on social media, which depicts the internal structure of public bathhouses using isometric projection, a type of architectural drawing, and transparent watercolors. After publishing a book compiling the series from Chuo Koron Shinsha, she has expanded her thematic scope beyond public bathhouses to create diagrammatic works of other buildings, including restaurants, galleries, and tea rooms.

She has been featured in numerous media outlets, including TBS's "Jounetsu Tairiku" and NHK's "Jinsei Design U-29," and in 2022, a drama based on her life, "Yuagari Sketch," was broadcast. Her books include "Sento Zukai" and "Yuagari Mitai ni, Hotto Shite." Her preferred bath temperature is 43 degrees Celsius.

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