Bench - Endai

A rectangular seat that can be placed outdoors and easily moved. Most are made by cutting and joining pieces of bamboo or pine that are resistant to moisture and water to create a base, with legs attached to the four corners. They were used as resting areas at tea shops along roads and in the precincts of shrines and temples, and in urban homes as a place to cool off in the gardens or alleys. The name "endai" is said to have originated from the idea of ​​a platform placed under the eaves of a house or in an alleyway to serve as a substitute for a veranda, but this is not an ancient term. Originally, Japan was a sedentary lifestyle, so it was not until the Edo period that seats became common, and it is thought that endai was probably a popular version of a shogi (tokoshi) floor stool (shoji) that was made with bamboo slats.

[Mizuo Miyamoto]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

屋外に置き、簡単に移動できる長方形の腰掛け台。多くは水湿に強い竹材、松材を切って継いで台板とし、その四隅に脚をつけたもの。街道筋や社寺の境内の茶店では休憩用とし、都市の住宅では庭先や路地の涼み台として用いられた。縁台の名称は家の軒先、路地に置き、縁側に代用する台の意からおこったといわれるが、古いものではない。元来、日本では座居の生活であったので、腰掛けの類が一般化したのは江戸時代になってからで、縁台は、おそらく、簀子(すのこ)敷きの床几(しょうぎ)（床子(しょうじ)）などが庶民化したものではないかと思われる。

［宮本瑞夫］

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