Irori

What an irori is

An irori is a square hearth cut into the floor of a house, used for both heating and cooking. It sits in the Doma or in a boarded room, at the centre of family life.

The National Cultural Properties Database sometimes uses another word for it. The Takigawa Residence in Aichi Prefecture, built in 1814, is described as centred on two adjoining Zashiki with a Nando behind and, to the east, a kitchen and an earthen floor containing a large hearth.

Smoke from the hearth cured the roof space and helped a Kayabuki roof last. The monitor roofs that farmhouse records mention on the ridge exist to let that smoke out.

When quoting a record, keep the word it uses. The two Japanese terms mean the same thing, but the entry's own wording is the safer one to follow.

Not the tea-room hearth

A Chashitsu has a hearth too, but a different one. The small reception room at the Hiramatsu Residence in Nagano Prefecture, built in 1916, is described as having a Tokonoma, a low cupboard, a hearth cut into the floor and a boat-bottom ceiling. That hearth is a small one for tea, cut into a Tatami.

One is the fire of daily life, the other the fire for making tea. They differ in size and position, and records keep the words apart.

On site, judge by the size of the opening. A square of roughly a metre cut into boards or earth is the farmhouse hearth; a small square cut into the corner of a mat belongs to the tea room.