Clawfoot Bathtub

Overview Media Scenes Bathers Owners Combinations Trivia

Clawfoot Bathtub
猫足バスタブ 猫足風呂 猫足浴槽 猫足湯船 Nekoashi basutabu Nekoashi furo Nekoashi yokusō Nekoashi yubune
Alternate Names	Nekoashi (猫足) Cat foot bathtub four legged bathtub
Type	Bathtub
Similar Concepts	Slipper Bathtub Flat Bathtub Pedestal Bathtub Shower Tub Combo

A Clawfoot Bathtub is a Freestanding Bathtub has four legs on the bottom which keep the tub elevated.

History

File:Ikoku-meiro-04-05.jpg

clawfoot tub in the 19th century setting series Ikoku Meiro no Croisée.

They originated in Holland during the mid 1800s with a design that featured legs that were a claw holding a ball and was a luxury item only the wealthy had. The tub became popular throughout Europe especially in England as bathing was already becoming more widespread around the time. They became very prominent in western homes by the late 1800s and early 1900s but have died down a bit in the west as many older buildings that have once had them have been known to eventually get them removed because of their difficult maintenance and end up being replaced with Built-In Bathtubs leaving clawfoot tubs as a novelty. While the older models of this tub were made of cast iron making them heavy, the newer models are made with acrylic which make them a little more lighter.

Role in Japanese Culture

Clawfoot tub used in photo shoot for idol Mai Takeuchi of AKB48.

Even though they are designed for western style baths, a few Japanese Ofuro's have been shown to have them on rare occasion since most bathrooms in Japan aren't big enough to have one. In Japan, they have somewhat risen in popularity in the 21st century, especially in anime culture as they are considered to be cute. Idols such as Shoko Nakagawa, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and members of AKB48 have been featured in or being around these types of tubs for photo shoots and music videos because of the somewhat whimsical appearance to them. With the combination of Bubble Bath, Japan perceives them as the quintessential westernized bath.

Japan's most well known clawfoot tub scene in Nana.

In anime & manga they are usually owned by wealthy characters like Oujos (王女) that live in mansions. European, Western, Noir and Fantasy are the most natural settings these tubs are expected to appear in. Since clawfoot tubs usually feature legs that are cat like paws, they are sometimes associated with cat themed characters like Blair in Soul Eater. In Japan, the most iconic example of clawfoot tubs in their media is through apartment 707 in the Nana series by Ai Yazawa who mostly draws clawfoot tubs in the bathing scenes of her works. Clawfoot tubs are usually the bathtubs used for scenes that feature characters randomly bathing in an out of place area out in the open because of their portable appearance and being the most recognizable bathtub design. Avant-garde anime is also seen using clawfoot tubs often in their scenery's in series such as Revolutionary Girl Utena, Yuri Kuma Arashi and studio Shaft's works like Magical Suite Prism Nana and the Monogatari series.

Design Variations

Slipper Bathtub, a common variation seen in Nisemonogatari.

The standard version of a clawfoot tub is where one end is rounded and the other is flat. The flat end is usually where the faucet would be located and the round end would be where the bather sits. The Doubled Ended tub is where both sides of the tub are rounded and can conveniently fit two bathers one on each side. Some versions of the double ended tub will have the faucet located in the center rather than the front. There are some clawfoot tubs which are square and rectangle shaped which may look like Unit Bathtubs but have four legs on the bottom making it a clawfoot. A Slipper Bathtub is a well known variation of clawfoot tubs have in which atleast one side is sloped and serves as a back rest for the bather but can sometimes have both ends sloped. This version has become used in its more grounded alterations which take the feet off that are referred to as the Flat Bathtubs and the Pedestal Bathtubs.

A clawfoot tub with peg legs seen in Eat-Man.

The bottom feet of a clawfoot tub are also something that is different through various tubs. The earliest known design was the claws that are holding onto a ball. The cat paws are probably the most common legs these tubs have which are just the claw and not ball. Some tubs don't have to have literal claw feet but can have four undetailed pegs holding the tub up.

A clawfoot tub used as a shower in Urusei Yatsura.

The most average color clawfoot tubs come in are white with gold being the second most prominent color for the feet other than white. In western cultures clawfoot tubs commonly have a Shower Head over it and Shower Curtain around it as part of a Shower Tub Combo since Ofuro's aren't in those cultures, the user has to pick between a Shower or a bath rather than getting both in one bathing session. An uncommon design seen in some clawfoot tubs are ones that will have a figurehead at the front of the tub like a head or statue similar to the front of a boat.

Quotes

"An old fashion clawfoot tub. I'll take it."

~Nana Komatsu (Nana episode 1)

"What a cute little bathtub."

~Rushuna Tendo (Grenadier episode 11)

"The bath here is a real pain... This is a real freaky house. It's plenty high tech, but the bath... It's not automatic. It's kind of out of place."

~Hanako Tanaka (Zetman chapter 90)

"We do not want to go inside this vulgar monstrosity, it must be a joke."

~Lashara Aasu XXVIII (Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar episode 2)

"I doubt I'd be able to relax in that gaudy bath."

~Wahanly Shume (Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar episode 2)

"I know right. (agreeing with Wahanly's statement)"

~Chiaia Furan (Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar episode 2)

"Can't really install these in Japan..."

~Kore Yamazaki (The Ancient Magus' Bride volume 4 extra)

"The bathtub at your house sure is fancy~"

~Mikado Yaguchi (P to JK chapter 24) (fan translation)

"Your bath is amazing!"

~Mikado Yaguchi (P to JK chapter 24) (Kodansha Translation)

External Links

• Wikipedia
• Nekoashi Bathtub Website