hairdresser's room in a shogun's or noble's residence
Archaic term for a dedicated hairdressing chamber within the residence of a shogun or high-ranking noble during the Edo period. Not used in modern Japanese.
In the Edo period, the shogun's palace had a room called a 便所 for hairdressing.
Alternate archaic spelling using 鬢 (hair at the temples), emphasizing the hairdressing function.
The word is historically written 鬢所, from 鬢 “hair at the temples” and 所 “place,” denoting a room where hair was dressed. The spelling 便所 represents the same reading.