User:Keroobean/Tatami

Tatami History

Most Japanese cultural traditions are from China, but the tatami was created as a Japanese indigenous tradition. The tatami is well-suited to Japan because japanese weather is humid and changes often. Japanese people have used tatami since Nara Era (710-794). It was knitted and piled up 5 or 6 straws like modern tatami. People who lived in the Heian Era stepped onto tatami to show their power and they spread the tatami only in a necessary part of the room.

The use of tatami was a little different from now. The shoin style of tradition Japanese residential architecture originated in the Kamakura Era. During this time, people stopped spreading tatami around the room and placing them in the middle. They started to spread tatami through the room. People decided how to spread tatami by the hearth's place and sit erect with one's legs folded under.

Tatami has been changing together with people's life style. Tatami became common for people in the middle of the Edo Era but the farmer starred to use it in the Meiji Era. The removal of tatami regulation made people more common in the Meiji Era. Japanese people often dry the tatami. If the tatami's surface was discolored, people often overturned tatami. People started to use chairs after World War Two and rapid economic growth and spread carpet in the tatami room. Japanese people think flooring is not relaxing or soundproof enough, so people still use tatami now.

Tatami Production

Tatami is made with rush. It starts from growing the rush to make tatami. Rush is planted in the rice field in the August. This seeding is dug out once in November, and a good seedling is chosen. The chosen seedling is planted in the rice field again in December. The end of June from to the middle of July, the high-quality rush grows up to about middle 50 centimeters a meter and it will be harvests the next year.

The reaped rush should be process and dry after harvesting, and keep the peculiar smell and the color of the rush. And the rush is selected according to length and the thickness, and it check for bruising.

After the process ends, tatami is made. First of all, because the Japanese-style room's size is different in each other, japanese-style room measures a part of dimensions of a room. Next, make the table of tatami. Tatami is woven with a special machine. It similar to the weaves a kimono.Then make the part of the wick of tatami. This is called toko. When the toko is 40 centimeters or more thick, and the shape is straightened. the mat is complete, and that is called mushiro. The tatami is complete of tatami when the made tatami is put on toko and decoration of mat edge surroundings are sewn.

Igusa

Igusa is a plant of the family of igusa, and a perennial.Igusa have good smell. In English, they called rush. When the tatami created, igusa does not lack. Igusa blooms from May trough June. The plant grows to a length of 70 centimeters or less. They grow in the marsh where sunshine is good. In Japan, there are 30 kinds of igusa. And igusa is grown in various lands in japan.

Tatami is made from high-quolity igusa with neither discoloration nor a wound on the stalk, and the root to the point is flexible, also the thickness and the color are even. The tatami that is used high-quality igusa is fine. About 4000 to 7000 igusa are used for the tatami.Generally speaking, tatami are become more beautiful that use longer and much igusa.

There are various, good benefits in the tatami of igusa. For example, air purification, heat insulation, keep warm, attemperation, elasticity, balmy, and sound absorbing qualities. So many Japanese like tatami and there are a lot of tatami at their home.

Tatamiberi

Tatamiberi is the cloth that covers the edge of tatami. And it also decorates tatami. Some tatami don’t have it. In English, it is called the mat edge. The width of tatamiberi is about three centimeters. The material on the tatamiberi is cotton yarn, a synthetic material string, and a gold thread. The features change according to what strings are combining with tatamiberi. The woven beautiful color handle sets off the room. There are two types, and the atmosphere of the room changes by the tatamiberi.

There are many kinds of tatamiberi. But tatamiberi was used properly by the status. For example, the emperor, ministers, priests, and scholars. It seems to be recorded in "Amanomokuzu" in 1420.

Japan has etiquette about tatamiberi. Japanese are taught not to step on the tatamiberi. As for it is easy to tear tatamiberi originally when stepping in the weakest part, and to step on tatamiberi fades the color on the edge of cotton and hemp in the tatami. Therefore, the etiquette's mean is " So as not to hurt the mat insensitively stepping when you visit another house, let's pay it attention ". Moreover, family crests were embroidered on the tatamiberi in old times, too. Stepping on the family crest was taboo.

References

Okitatami.com. Iguchi tatami fusuma. Retrieved on 3 Jun 2009. Tatamilife. com. DAIKEN. Retried on 2 July 2009. 知って得する豆知識.OCN. Retrieved on 15 May 2009. My Flower Pictorial Book. Retrieved on 15 May 2009. Wikipedia. A wikipedia project. retrueved on 15 May 2009. Ohmiya blog.高田織物株式会社.Retrieved on 15 May 2009. Ohno-naiso. Ohnonaiso.Retrieved on 14 May 2009. Tatami no dekirumade no koutei.Ishiiseitatmi. Retrieved on 14 May 2009.