Tatami - Tatami

Japanese: 畳 - たたみ

A flooring material for use on the floor of a room, made of straw pierced with thread and then covered with a woven surface made of rush grass. The cross section of the flooring is visible on all four sides, so the short side is covered with the surface. The long side is not covered with the surface, but is covered with a cloth border. The border is not only necessary when the tatami is used as a floor mat with the sides visible or when it is used for chases, but also serves a decorative purpose, such as indicating the status of the user with its color and pattern. When only the surface made of woven rush grass is attached to sandals, the surface alone can be called a tatami.

[Hirai Sei]

history

In ancient times, tatami mats were used as seating equipment along with ishi (stools), enza (round seating), and soton (grass cushions). At first their sizes varied, but the width was roughly determined by the length of the rush grass, and as the length was technically free, tatami mats were made that were roughly square for one person to sit on, or twice as long as the width or even longer for two to three people to sit on. As time went on, the size gradually became fixed, with the long side being roughly one ken (6 shaku; 1 shaku is about 30 centimeters) and the short side being half that, making it roughly half a ken. As they were carried around as seating equipment, they were not very heavy, and were soft enough to bend and curve when carried, but when they were laid out to cover the floor, they became hard and heavy.

Examples of their use show that in the Yukiden and Sukiden rooms, the main halls during the Daijoe ceremony, several tatami mats were stacked on top of each other on the beds of the gods, and tatami were also laid out where the gods and the emperor sat. In the Heian period shinden-zukuri style of architecture, tatami mats were used as floor mats along with round cushions on a wooden floor. Floor mats were not only used in shinden, but examples of them being laid out in gardens during events can be seen in the picture scrolls of annual events. Depending on the status of the person, floor mats could be laid out in a variety of ways, including laying just one tatami mat, stacking them, stacking them with a round cushion, or arranging two tatami mats in a square and then placing a shitone mat on top of that.

Towards the end of the Heian period, some small rooms were covered with mats, but in the Middle Ages, they were usually laid in a single row around the perimeter of the room, which is called oi-mawashi-shiki. Even today, examples of oi-mawashi-shiki can be seen in the rooms of the abbot's chambers of Zen temples. When mats were laid in oi-mawashi-shiki, the inside was usually left as wooden boards, but sometimes straw mats were laid, and gradually the entire room was covered with mats. When mats were laid out, it was no longer possible to indicate status by using different seating equipment such as tatami mats and round cushions, as was the case with tatami mats, so a mat with a raised floor was set up. It is believed that this mat became the standard and became the upper level. It is also believed that the mat with a raised floor was the original form of the tatami mat floor. In some cases, two mats of mats were laid out on top of the mats laid out. The borders are usually plain black, brown, red, etc., but there are also borders with black patterns on a white background and borders with colored stripes for use with tatami mats.

In the Kinki region, the size of tatami mats began to be standardized from the end of the Momoyama period or the beginning of the Edo period, with the long side measuring 6 shaku 3 sun and the short side measuring 3 shaku 1 sun 5 bu. At that time, in the Kyoto area, the design method of the shin-shin system, which set the distance between pillars at 7 shaku or 6 shaku 5 sun as the standard, was used, but except for official buildings of nobles and samurai families such as the Imperial Palace and the great hall of Nijo Castle, the design method of tatami mat division gradually changed from the 6 shaku 5 sun shin-shin system to a standard of 6 shaku 3 sun and 3 shaku 1 sun 5 bu tatami mats. In addition, there were also areas such as Edo that used the shin-shin system, with 1 ken being 6 shaku as the standard, and in the Edo period, three main types of standards were used for tatami mats in accordance with these standards. In addition, in the Edo period, shorter daime tatami mats with a long side of about 3/4 of 1 ken were used in tea rooms, where tea ceremonies were held.

[Hirai Sei]

kinds

There are many different types of tatami mats, depending on the dimensions between the pillars (size), shape, thickness, and whether or not they have edges.

A tatami mat consists of a tatami bed, a tatami surface, and a tatami border.

[Jin Nakamura]

Tatami floor

A tatami mat base made from well-dried rice straw sewn lengthwise and crosswise with hemp thread. As straw harvested that year has a lot of moisture and is prone to breeding bark worms, straw that has been dried for at least several months after harvest is used. Straw that is left for one year is called "hinewara" and is preferred. There are hand-sewn and machine-made tatami mats. Originally, tatami mats were hand-sewn, but machine-made mats appeared in the mid-Taisho period and most are now machine-made. According to the JIS (Japanese Industrial Standards), the cross section is either 6 or 4 layers (JIS A 5901).

It can also refer to a type of tokonoma, a tokonoma with a floor frame and real tatami mats laid out.

[Jin Nakamura]

Tatami mat

It is a mat that is placed on top of a tatami floor and is woven with rush stalks as the weft and hemp or cotton as the warp. It is also called omote for short. Depending on the place of origin, there are Bizen omote, Bingo omote, Kochi omote, Yatsushiro omote, Ryukyu omote (mainly Oita Prefecture), Morome omote (Shizuoka Prefecture), and Komatsu omote (Ishikawa Prefecture). Also, according to the type of warp thread, it can be classified as Itobiki (cotton thread), Asabiki (a mix of hemp, Manila, and Sanrin), Ichibi (a grass called Ichibi), according to the weaving method, it can be classified as Hand-woven or Powered, according to the number of warp threads, i.e., the number of stitches, it can be classified as Meseki (one warp thread with 64-67 stitches), Morome (two threads with 61 stitches), Kokonome (two threads with 59 stitches), Nanatsume (two threads with 49 stitches), etc. Also, according to the way the rush is used, it can be classified as Hikitoshi (a single rush thread is used to pull the entire width), Nakatsugi (two rush threads are joined in the middle and protrude to the back), Tobikomi (joined in the same way as Tsujigai, but the seam is pulled in so that it cannot be seen).

[Jin Nakamura]

Tatami border

This is the cloth that borders the long edges of the tatami mat, perpendicular to the rush grass, when it is placed on the floor. Silk, linen, cotton, synthetic fibers, etc. are used, and colors include black, navy blue, persimmon, storeroom, nightingale, mouse, and patterned ones. For ordinary homes, there is the dark navy Matsueda-beri, while high-end products include Takamiya-beri, which is woven using Kyoto dyeing techniques from hemp and spun hemp, and Korai-beri, which has cloud- and chrysanthemum-shaped patterns woven in black on a white twill background.

Tatami edges are attached with edging paper, which is used as a base, and a headboard, which keeps the corners of the tatami from collapsing and maintains their angles. The headboard is a thin board inserted between the tatami floor and the tatami surface, and is made of flat-grained cypress.

Recently, light Japanese-style tatami mats made from plastic have been commercially available. Tatami mats using various foamed plastics for the tatami floor, tatami mats with vinyl leather surfaces with patterns applied to them, and hollow polypropylene tubes woven like rush grass have all been developed. On the other hand, there are also attempts to use traditional materials and automate the process with robots and the like.

[Jin Nakamura]

Cross-sectional structure of a tatami mat and the arrangement of straw on the tatami floor
©Shogakukan ">

Cross-sectional structure of a tatami mat and the arrangement of straw on the tatami floor

Types of tatami mats
©Shogakukan ">

Types of tatami mats

How to lay tatami mats
©Shogakukan ">

How to lay tatami mats

How to lay tatami mats (methods not used in residential buildings)
©Shogakukan ">

How to lay tatami mats (methods not used in residential buildings)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

藁(わら)を糸で刺して固めた床(とこ)に、イグサを横糸として織った表(おもて)をつけた、部屋の床(ゆか)に敷き詰める床(ゆか)材料。四方の側面に床(とこ)の断面が現れるので、短辺の断面を表で包む。長辺の断面は表で包まず、布の縁(へり)をつけて包んでいる。縁は、側面が見える置畳(おきだたみ)にするときや追い回しに敷いたときに必要なだけでなく、色や模様で身分を表したり、装飾的な役割をもっていた。イグサを織った表だけを草履(ぞうり)などに張り付けるときなど、表だけでも畳とよぶことがある。

［平井　聖］

歴史

畳は、古代には倚子(いし)、円座、草墩(そうとん)などとともに座具であった。大きさは初めはまちまちであったが、幅はイグサの長さでおおよそ決まり、長さは技術的に自由であるところから、1人が座るためのほぼ正方形のもの、2人から3人が座るための長さが幅の倍、あるいはそれより長いものなどができた。時代が下るとともにしだいに大きさが決まり、長辺はほぼ1間(けん)（6尺。1尺は約30センチメートル）、短辺はその半分でほぼ2分の1間になった。座具として持ち運んだのでそれほど重くなく、持ち運ぶとき、しなって曲線を描く程度に柔らかかったが、敷き詰めるようになると固く重いものになった。

　用例をみると、大嘗会(だいじょうえ)の際の正殿である悠基殿(ゆきでん)・主基殿(すきでん)の室では、神の寝床に畳を何枚も重ねるほか、神と天皇が座るところにも畳を敷いた。平安時代の寝殿造では、板敷きの床の上に円座などとともに置畳として使われている。置畳は寝殿の中で使われているだけでなく、行事のおりに庭に敷かれた例も年中行事絵巻にみることができる。置畳の敷き方にも、身分などによって、畳を1枚だけ敷く場合のほかに、重ねる場合、円座と重ねる場合、2枚を正方形に並べその上に茵(しとね)を重ねる場合などがあった。

　平安時代の末期には、狭い部屋では敷き詰めにするところも現れたが、中世の例では通常、部屋の周囲に1列だけ敷く追い回し敷きであった。いまでも、禅宗寺院の方丈の室中に追い回し敷きの例がみられる。追い回しに敷いた場合、その中は板敷きのままが普通であったが、ときには莚(むしろ)を敷くこともあり、しだいに部屋全体に敷き詰めるようになった。敷き詰めになると、置畳のときのように畳・円座などの座具を使い分けることによって身分を表すことができなくなったので、1段床(ゆか)のあがった床(とこ)を設けるようになった。この床が定常化して上段になったと考えられている。また、1段床(ゆか)があがった床(とこ)が原形になって畳床(たたみどこ)が生まれたとも考えられている。敷き詰めた畳の上にまた2畳の置畳をする場合もあった。縁は黒のほか茶・赤などの無地が普通であるが、白地に黒の紋のある紋縁、色の縞(しま)になった置畳用のものなどがある。

　畳の大きさは、近畿地方では桃山時代の終わりあるいは江戸時代の始めごろから、長辺6尺3寸に短辺3尺1寸5分とする規格化された畳を用いるようになった。そのころ京都近辺では、柱間を7尺あるいは6尺5寸などを基準として決めた心々制の設計法がとられていたが、内裏(だいり)や二条城の大広間のような公家(くげ)や武家の公式の建物以外では、しだいに6尺5寸の心々制から6尺3寸に3尺1寸5分の大きさの畳を基準とした畳割りの設計方法に変わっている。そのほかに、基準となる1間を6尺とする心々制をとっていた江戸をはじめとする地域もあり、江戸時代には畳もこれらの基準にあわせて主として3種類の規格が用いられていた。そのほかに、江戸時代には長い辺が1間の4分の3程度になった短めの台目畳が茶室で用いられ、茶の点前(てまえ)をする場所に使われている。

［平井　聖］

種類

畳は、柱間寸法（大きさ）、形状、厚さ、縁(へり)の有無などによって、種類がいろいろある。

　畳は、畳床(どこ)、畳表(おもて)、畳縁(べり)などからなる。

［中村　仁］

畳床

よく乾燥した稲藁(いねわら)を麻糸などで縦横に縫い固めてつくった畳の台。その年に収穫した藁は水分が多く、しけ虫がわく場合が多いことから、刈り入れ後数か月以上乾燥させたものを用いる。1年越しの藁はひね藁といわれ、好まれる。畳床には、手縫い床と機械床がある。元来、手縫いだったが、大正中期から機械床が現れ、現在はほとんどが機械床である。JIS(ジス)（日本工業規格）による断面は6層または4層となっている（JIS　A　5901）。

　また、床の間の一形式をさすこともある。床框(とこがまち)を入れ、本畳を敷いた床の間である。

［中村　仁］

畳表

畳床の上にかけるもので、イグサの茎を横糸に、麻または木綿を縦糸にして織った敷物。略して表(おもて)ともいう。産地によって、備前(びぜん)表、備後(びんご)表、高知表、八代(やつしろ)表、琉球(りゅうきゅう)表（主として大分県）、諸目(もろめ)表（静岡県）、小松表（石川県）がある。また、縦糸の種類で、糸引(いとびき)表（綿糸）、麻引(あさびき)表（大麻(たいま)、マニラ、さんりん混合）、市皮(いちび)表（市皮という草）、織り方の違いで、手織表、動力表、縦糸の数すなわち目数によって、目塞(めせき)表（縦糸1本で64～67の目数）、諸目表（2本で61）、九目(ここのめ)表（2本で59）、七目(ななつめ)表（2本で49）に分けられる。ほかに、イグサの使い方の違いで、引通(ひきとお)し表（全横幅を1本のイグサで引き通したもの）、中継(なかつぎ)表（2本のイグサを中央で継ぎ、裏側に飛び出させてある）、飛込(とびこみ)表（中継と同じように継ぐが、継ぎ目が見えないように引き込んである）などの区別がある。

［中村　仁］

畳縁

畳表を床(とこ)につけるときに長手方向の縁を、イグサと直交して縁どる布のこと。絹、麻、木綿、化繊などが用いられ、色は黒、紺、柿(かき)、納戸(なんど)、鶯(うぐいす)、鼠(ねずみ)のほか、模様のものがある。一般住宅には、濃紺色の松江田縁(まつえだべり)、上級品には、木麻・紡績麻などを京染めして織った高宮縁(たかみやべり)、白地の綾(あや)に雲形や菊形の文様を黒く織り出した高麗縁(こうらいべり)などがある。

　畳縁は、下地に用いる縁下紙と、畳の隅の崩れや隅の角度と保つ頭板(かしらいた)を添えて取り付けられる。頭板は、畳床と畳表との間に挿入される薄い板で、板目の檜(ひのき)材が用いられる。

　最近では、日本風の畳をプラスチックでつくった軽い畳が市販されている。畳床に、各種の発泡プラスチックを使ったもの、畳表として、ビニルレザーに表の模様を加工してつけたもの、あるいはポリプロピレンによる中空チューブをイグサのようにして織ったものなどが開発されている。また一方では、従来の材料を用いながら、工程をロボットのようなもので自動化する試みも行われている。

［中村　仁］

畳の断面構造と畳床の藁の配列

畳の種類

畳の敷き方

畳の敷き方（住宅に採用しない敷き方）

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

<<: Tadami [town] - Tadami

>>: Just a beat - Just a beat