Sento painter

Sento bathhouse painter Toshimitsu Hayakawa was one of the most remarkable people I’ve photographed. Sadly, he passed away in 2009, only a couple of years after I took these photographs.

One of the two last sento bathhouse painters in Tokyo, he was in his seventies and still working.

He was a modest and kind man who lived a tough life, but did he job with care and dignity. He had a lot to teach.

(Tokyo photojournalist on Facebook)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This entry was posted on Monday, August 22nd, 2011 at 6:12 pm. It is filed under my photos, photography, thumbnail slider and tagged with , . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

3 Responses to “Sento painter”

  1. Skye says:
    August 22, 2011 at 7:48 pm

    Fantastic shots. What an amazing essay – it’s sad to hear that there are so few sento painters left.

    Reply
    • tony says:
      August 22, 2011 at 10:30 pm

      Thanks Skye. As far as I know there is only one working sento painter left. Hayakawa said that he had had many apprentices over the years but none with the stamina to continue.

      Reply
  2. Sean says:
    December 6, 2011 at 11:45 am

    Tony, a really nice piece of work. Sad testament on Japanese society at large, but the images provide a great narrative. Keep up the great work!

    Reply

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