Washitsu

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Washitsu with tatami and shōji
Old house in Ishibashi

A washitsu ( Japanese 和 室 ), literally "Japanese room", describes a traditional Japanese room. It is characterized, among other things, by tatami mats as a floor covering (hence sometimes also " tatami room "), possibly shōji (sliding walls) and a tokonoma (wall niche). He often has fusuma (sliding doors) instead of doors with hinges .

In the past all Japanese living quarters were washitsu in today's parlance , and the Japanese slept in them at night on futons that were rolled out on the floor. Today, many Japanese households only have one washitsu , which is then mainly used as a living room and for receiving guests, while most of the other rooms are designed in a western style. Many newly built Japanese apartments in urban areas - often with linoleum or hardwood floors - no longer have Washitsu .

The size of a Washitsu is traditionally given by the number of tatami mats it has, using the special Japanese counting word jō ( 畳 ). Typical room sizes in private apartments are six or eight tatami. A typical arrangement is four tatami around half a mat in the middle, i.e. a 4 1/2 tatami room. The size of the tatami varies depending on the region. Traditionally there were only certain arrangements of the tatami and the resulting room sizes.

The furniture of a Washitsu often consists of a low table at which the family sits with guests or for dinner on flat cushions ( zabuton ) or on low chairs that are specially designed for such low tables. A kotatsu is such a table that has an electrical heating element under the table surface and is often surrounded by quilts so that the heat does not escape. In winter, the family gathers in this place of warmth, as it is not customary in traditional Japanese apartment buildings to heat the entire house. Due to its importance, such a low table is usually one of the characteristics of a Washitsu .

Web links