Tatami
Encyclopedia
A is a type of mat
used as a flooring material in traditional Japan
ese-style rooms. Traditionally made of rice
straw
to form the core (though nowadays sometimes the core is composed of compressed wood chip boards or polystyrene foam
), with a covering of woven soft rush (igusa) straw
, tatami are made in standard sizes, with the length exactly twice the width. Usually, on the long sides, they have edging (heri) of brocade
or plain cloth, although some tatami have no edging.
The term tatami is derived from the verb tatamu, meaning to fold or pile. This indicates that the early tatami were thin and could be folded up when not used or piled in layers. Tatami were originally a luxury item for the nobility. During the Heian period
, when the shinden-zukuri
architectural style of aristocratic residences was consummated, the flooring of shinden-zukuri palatial rooms were mainly wooden, and tatami were only used as seating for the highest aristocrats. In the Kamakura period
, there arose the shoin-zukuri
architectural style of residence for the samurai and priests who had gained power. This architectural style reached its peak of development in the Muromachi period
, when tatami gradually came to be spread over whole rooms, beginning with small rooms. Rooms completely spread with tatami came to be known as zashiki (lit., room spread out for sitting), and rules concerning seating and etiquette determined the arrangement of the tatami in the rooms. It is said that prior to the mid-16th century, the ruling nobility and samurai slept on tatami or woven mats called goza, while commoners used straw mats or loose straw for bedding.
The lower classes had mat-covered dirt floors.
Tatami were gradually popularized and finally reached the homes of commoners toward the end of the 17th century.
Houses built in Japan today often have very few tatami-floored rooms, if any. Having just one is not uncommon. The rooms having tatami flooring and other such traditional architectural features are referred to as nihonma or washitsu
, "Japanese-style rooms".
area, tatami generally measure 9.55m by 1.91m. Tatami of this size are referred to as Kyōma tatami. Tatami in the Nagoya region generally measure 9.1m by 1.82m, and are referred to as ainoma (lit., "in-between" size) tatami. In the region around Tokyo
, tatami generally measure 8.8m by 1.76m. Tatami of this size are referred to as Edoma or Kantōma tatami. In terms of thickness, 5.5cm is average for a Kyōma tatami, while 6.0cm is the norm for a Kantōma tatami. A half mat is called a hanjō, and a mat of three-quarter length, which is used in tea-ceremony rooms (chashitsu
), is called daimedatami.
In Japan, the size of a room is typically measured by the number of tatami mats (-畳 -jō).
Tatami in the Nagoya region are based on the English measurement system. The metric measurement .91 m by 1.82 m is about 2′11.83″ by 5′11.65″, which can be rounded to 3 ft × 6 ft. Some common room sizes are (in the Nagoya region):
Shops were traditionally designed to be 5½ mats, and tea rooms
are frequently 4½ mats.
, "auspicious" tatami arrangements and "inauspicious" tatami arrangements were distinctly differentiated, and the tatami accordingly would be rearranged depending on the occasion. Nowadays, the "auspicious" layout is ordinarily used. In this arrangement, the junctions of the tatami form a "T" shape; in the "inauspicious" arrangement, the tatami are in a grid pattern wherein the junctions form a + shape.
An inauspicious layout is said to bring bad fortune. In homes, the mats must not be laid in a grid pattern, and in any layout there is never a point where the corners of four mats touch.
Mat
A mat is a generic term for a piece of fabric or flat material, generally placed on a floor or other flat surface, and serving a range of purposes including:* providing a regular or flat surface, such as a mousepad....
used as a flooring material in traditional Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese-style rooms. Traditionally made of rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
straw
Straw
Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalks of cereal plants, after the grain and chaff have been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has many uses, including fuel, livestock bedding and fodder, thatching and...
to form the core (though nowadays sometimes the core is composed of compressed wood chip boards or polystyrene foam
Polystyrene
Polystyrene ) also known as Thermocole, abbreviated following ISO Standard PS, is an aromatic polymer made from the monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is manufactured from petroleum by the chemical industry...
), with a covering of woven soft rush (igusa) straw
Straw
Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalks of cereal plants, after the grain and chaff have been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has many uses, including fuel, livestock bedding and fodder, thatching and...
, tatami are made in standard sizes, with the length exactly twice the width. Usually, on the long sides, they have edging (heri) of brocade
Brocade
Brocade is a class of richly decorative shuttle-woven fabrics, often made in colored silks and with or without gold and silver threads. The name, related to the same root as the word "broccoli," comes from Italian broccato meaning "embossed cloth," originally past participle of the verb broccare...
or plain cloth, although some tatami have no edging.
History
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
, when the shinden-zukuri
Shinden-zukuri
Shinden-zukuri refers to the style of domestic architecture developed for palatial or aristocratic mansions built in Heian-kyō in the Heian period , especially in 10th century Japan....
architectural style of aristocratic residences was consummated, the flooring of shinden-zukuri palatial rooms were mainly wooden, and tatami were only used as seating for the highest aristocrats. In the Kamakura period
Kamakura period
The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo....
, there arose the shoin-zukuri
Shoin-zukuri
is a style of Japanese residential architecture used in the mansions of the military, temple guest halls, and Zen abbot's quarters of the Azuchi-Momoyama and Edo periods . It forms the basis of today's traditional-style Japanese house. Characteristics of the shoin-zukuri development were the...
architectural style of residence for the samurai and priests who had gained power. This architectural style reached its peak of development in the Muromachi period
Muromachi period
The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate, which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Takauji, two years after the brief Kemmu restoration of imperial...
, when tatami gradually came to be spread over whole rooms, beginning with small rooms. Rooms completely spread with tatami came to be known as zashiki (lit., room spread out for sitting), and rules concerning seating and etiquette determined the arrangement of the tatami in the rooms. It is said that prior to the mid-16th century, the ruling nobility and samurai slept on tatami or woven mats called goza, while commoners used straw mats or loose straw for bedding.
The lower classes had mat-covered dirt floors.
Tatami were gradually popularized and finally reached the homes of commoners toward the end of the 17th century.
Houses built in Japan today often have very few tatami-floored rooms, if any. Having just one is not uncommon. The rooms having tatami flooring and other such traditional architectural features are referred to as nihonma or washitsu
Washitsu
, meaning "Japanese-style room", is a Japanese term used as an antonym for the term yōshitsu , meaning "Western-style room." Another term for washitsu is nihonma , and the comparative other term for yōshitsu is yōma ....
, "Japanese-style rooms".
Size
The size of tatami differs between different regions in Japan. In the KyotoKyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
area, tatami generally measure 9.55m by 1.91m. Tatami of this size are referred to as Kyōma tatami. Tatami in the Nagoya region generally measure 9.1m by 1.82m, and are referred to as ainoma (lit., "in-between" size) tatami. In the region around Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, tatami generally measure 8.8m by 1.76m. Tatami of this size are referred to as Edoma or Kantōma tatami. In terms of thickness, 5.5cm is average for a Kyōma tatami, while 6.0cm is the norm for a Kantōma tatami. A half mat is called a hanjō, and a mat of three-quarter length, which is used in tea-ceremony rooms (chashitsu
Chashitsu
In Japanese tradition, architectural spaces designed to be used for tea ceremony gatherings are known as chashitsu ....
), is called daimedatami.
Tatami in the Nagoya region are based on the English measurement system. The metric measurement .91 m by 1.82 m is about 2′11.83″ by 5′11.65″, which can be rounded to 3 ft × 6 ft. Some common room sizes are (in the Nagoya region):
- 4½ mats ≈ 9 ft × 9 ft
- 6 mats ≈ 9 ft × 12 ft
- 8 mats ≈ 12 ft × 12 ft
Shops were traditionally designed to be 5½ mats, and tea rooms
Chashitsu
In Japanese tradition, architectural spaces designed to be used for tea ceremony gatherings are known as chashitsu ....
are frequently 4½ mats.
Layout
There are rules concerning the number of tatami mats and the layout of the tatami mats in a room. In the Edo periodEdo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, "auspicious" tatami arrangements and "inauspicious" tatami arrangements were distinctly differentiated, and the tatami accordingly would be rearranged depending on the occasion. Nowadays, the "auspicious" layout is ordinarily used. In this arrangement, the junctions of the tatami form a "T" shape; in the "inauspicious" arrangement, the tatami are in a grid pattern wherein the junctions form a + shape.
An inauspicious layout is said to bring bad fortune. In homes, the mats must not be laid in a grid pattern, and in any layout there is never a point where the corners of four mats touch.
External links
- Tatamit information on tatami in Finnish