Old Japanese Wooden Barrel

Old wooden Japanese wooden barrel possibly used to store fluids or as a small sized bath. Wooden barrels such as this were once commonly used in Japan to store liquids and as tubs for the traditional Japanese bath (furo). The Japanese commonly clean their body outside the bathtub and then soak in the tub only after their bodies are thoroughly scrubbed and rinsed. The tub size therefore does not need to be very large and is typically just big enough for one person to squat in. Farmers in Japan will commonly retire old bathtubs to the field to be used as water cisterns.

Japanese bathtubs and indeed the method of bathing in Japan is very different from how body cleaning is done in many other countries. Wooden (or more commonly plastic and metal in modern times) tubs are used to hold very hot water for soaking only. Soap is never used within a Japanese bathtub and instead the bather will wash their body outside the tub and only climb into the tub for a refreshing soak after their body is clean. Special wooden bath pails are used during the bathing process to pour warm water over the body while cleaning. Old fashioned Japanese bath tubs and pails were typically made of wood from the Japanese suginoki tree which is known as Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria) in the west. Suginoki is native only to Japan and has long been a favored wood for the making of high-quality cabinetry and woodcraft. Bath tubs, pails and other similar bucket items are assembled without the use of adhesive and were made watertight through tight-fitting joints bound with metal bands or interwoven strips of bamboo. The wooden slats which form the body of the pail may display longitudinal or cross-cut grain patterns (called masame and itame respectively) though the itame style is most common. Japanese bath tubs and pails are typically finished with a light layer of wax or persimmon juice.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Japan
• Japanese
• wooden
• tub
• bathtub
• furo
• barrel
• farm
• farmers
• field
• Tokaido
• Softypapa

[LordBalto]

Fascinating. This what I've been looking for for a while now (Not the barrel, the emphasis on Japanese craftsmanship).

[softypapa]

@LordBalto I am so glad you enjoyed hearing the little I have learned about these barrels. TheJapanChannelDcom has some videos as well on the subject of old Japan craftsmanship. I think the video is titled "Old Japan Village" or something like that. Thanks again for watching! -Kurt :-)

[MicknFumi]

Wow no glue, that's pretty cool : )

[softypapa]

@MicknFumi I too was amazed when I first learned about how these vessels were made. Japanese craftsmanship is indeed something very special. -Kurt :-)

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

Have you seen them making these, brother?

True art!

[softypapa]

@TheJapanChannelDcom I have never seen anyone making these though I did once meet a man who made them and was able to chat with him a bit. Have you seen these being made? That would make a great video don't you think? -Kurt :-)

[dmarie1184]

@softypapa Thanks! It may be awhile as I'm still editing/researching it and then the publishing process itself takes forever...but I will let you know.

[softypapa]

@krelllabs I will need to check out the books you reference. Thank you for sharing and for your nice words about the videos! -Kurt :-)

[softypapa]

@DivineContrast This is a great question though I do not know the answer. I spoke with a traditional Cooper here in Shizuoka (I should have filmed our chat) and he showed me how he assembled his barrels and pails. The fit of the pieces was so precise! My wife's family's old wooden tub lasted nearly 50 years without leaking. I think that the fact that the wood expands when wet may play an important part in this puzzle. -Kurt :-)

[krelllabs]

This reminds me of the wonderful books by the illustrator Eric Sloane, about the uses and working of wood. Very thankful for this bit - and for all the others, too!!