WORDS Lindi Brownell Meiring VIDEO via Great Big Story on Vimeo
Mizuki Tanaka, Japan’s first female sento (public bathhouse) mural artist, wants to keep the art of sento crafting alive in an age where it has lost popularity.
“Local bathhouse murals tend to be thought of as old-fashioned,” she says. “And now it’s come full circle,” with the younger generation seeing these murals as retro.
Sento paintings typically feature traditional imagery of Japanese landscapes, including the iconic Mount Fuji.
“My role as a sento painter is to make you feel like you’re travelling to other places,” says Mizuki. “When I finish, I feel happy about creating a new world on the wall.”
Take a closer look at Mizuki’s creations in the above clip.
