Curious about…Tatami.
A tatami (畳) is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Traditionally made of rice straw to form the core (though nowadays sometimes the core is composed of compressed wood chipboards 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 designed, 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, the shoin-zukuri emerged as 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, 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 calledgoza, while commoners used straw mats or loose straw for bedding.
The size of tatami differs between different regions in Japan. In the Kyoto area, tatami generally measure .955 m by 1.91 m. Tatami of this size are referred to as Kyōma tatami. Tatami in the Nagoya region generally measure .91 m by 1.82 m, and are referred to asainoma (lit., “in-between” size) tatami. In the region around Tokyo, tatami generally measure .88 m by 1.76 m. Tatami of this size are referred to as Edoma or Kantōma tatami. In terms of thickness, 5.5 cm is average for a Kyōma tatami, while 6.0 cm is the norm for aKantōma 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.[9]
There are rules concerning the number of tatami mats and the layout of the tatami mats in a room. In the Edo period, “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.In Japan, the size of a room is typically measured by the number of tatami mats (-畳 -jō).
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.
What Of It? Like many aspects of Japanese culture, tatami follows strict codes, many based on ancient social standing and status, that still apply today. Modern Japanese houses are still quite likely to have a tatami room, both as a sanctuary but also as an homage to past traditions, and many apartment listings for new homes still describe themselves in tatami-sizes. It’s a fascinating cultural nuance that is unique to here.
I Am Curious about ancient logic that still applies and is accepted in the modern context, about tradition, history and continued connection to the past.
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