This winter, as strong cold air moves south, it’s getting colder, and there are more days when the heating equipment is running at full capacity.
Weather News conducted a survey asking if they had a kotatsu at home, and found that nearly half of them answered “yes” in 2021, 49% in 2021, and 46% in 2023.
Although the number of air conditioners and heaters has increased in recent years, there is still a strong impression that “kotatsu” is the best choice for winter in Japan.
The kotatsu not only warms the room, but also warms the soul, but when did it start being used?
Therefore, we asked Ikehiko Corporation (headquartered in Oki-cho, Fukuoka Prefecture), which manufactures and sells interior and bedding products, to learn more about the history of the evolution of the kotatsu.
Did it originate during the Muromachi period?
When did kotatsu begin to be used as a heating device?
“It is said that the origin of the kotatsu was the use of irori in the Muromachi period.Irori can still be seen in old private houses and accommodations, but since ancient times it has been a main feature of Japanese houses. It could be called a heating device.
It is said that the origin of the kotatsu is that people at that time would cover the hearth with clothes and put their feet there to warm their feet. It is said that the prototype of the kotatsu was a kotatsu built over a hearth to prevent fire from spreading to clothes.” (Ikehiko)
The “irori” is considered to be the prototype of the kotatsu.
Was it difficult to heat the entire room by putting a lot of firewood in the hearth?“In the past, houses were built in such a way that it was very difficult to heat the entire room.It may be said that this was a basic architectural philosophy, but the structure was “easy in the summer and tough in the winter.”
For example, in the essay “Tsurezuregusa” written by Yoshida Kenko at the end of the Kamakura period, there is a passage that states, “Houses should be built in the summer.” In winter, it lives anywhere.” Translated into modern language, “When building a house, summer should be the standard.” You can live anywhere in the winter.”
Japanese houses were built with a focus on good ventilation, with the primary goal of surviving the intense humidity and heat of summer. In the winter, this becomes a hole and a cold draft blows in, making it impossible to keep the warmth in. No matter how much firewood you put in the hearth, you can’t raise the temperature of the entire room.
People’s desire to at least keep their feet warm probably gave rise to the idea of covering the hearth with clothes.” (Ikehiko)
“Okikotatsu” and “Kotatsu futon” originated in the Edo period.
The kotatsu was invented during the Muromachi period, but how has it evolved since then?
“The kotatsu, which spread all over the country, showed rapid development and development during the Edo period.
First, the “Okikotatsu” was introduced, which changed the heat source from an irori hearth to a brazier. This makes it possible to warm up with a kotatsu anytime, anywhere.
Furthermore, the “large kotatsu” was invented, which made it possible to accommodate a large number of people by lowering the area around the hearth below the floor. It is said that the merchants of the town liked to gather in large numbers and warm themselves with the large kotatsu.” (Ikehiko)
When did kotatsu futons start being used?
“Kotatsu futons are thought to have originated in the Edo period.
The Ishijo Diary, written by Ozaki Sekijo, a lower-ranking samurai of the Musashi Province Oshi Domain (Gyoda City, Saitama Prefecture), was written in 1861-62 (Bunkyu 1-2) at the end of the Edo period, and includes samurai and others. It depicts people at the time relaxing at a kotatsu.
Judging by its size, it was a kotatsu, and what was draped over it was clearly something like a futon rather than clothes.
It is believed that this kotatsu futon was not a cotton futon, which was extremely expensive at the time, but a straw futon that was commonly used as bedding.” (Ikehiko)
Relaxing under a kotatsu during the Edo period “Ishiki Diary Volume 6” by Ishiki Ozaki (Collected in “Keio University Faculty of Letters Archives”)
Horigotatsu invented in the Meiji period
During the Meiji era’s “Civilization and Enlightenment,” brick and Western-style houses with high heat retention were built, and heating appliances such as stoves became popular. Still, why did the kotatsu not become obsolete?
“Indeed, the importation and manufacture of stoves began in earnest during the Meiji period, when they were called “standing fireplaces,” and they used firewood or coal as raw materials.
In the Taisho era, lifelines such as oil, gas, and electricity became widespread, and heating appliances rapidly diversified, with oil and gas stoves and electric braziers and stoves appearing.
However, only the wealthy urbanites were able to use the new-age heating equipment in their houses, and many ordinary people continued to use hearths, braziers, and kotatsu.
The stoves that heated the entire room, which were developed in the highly airtight housing environments of the West, may not have been compatible with Japanese houses, which still had good ventilation.” (Ikehiko)
Recently, horigotatsu (horizontal kotatsu) is popular. It seems that the structure is not suitable for the era when tatami were the main type of tatami.
“Horigotatsu appeared at the end of the Meiji period.
Bernard Leach, a British potter living in Japan at the time, was not good at sitting straight. Leach thought, “Is it possible to make a kotatsu where you can sit with your legs stretched out?” and the Hori-kotatsu that he had built at his home is said to be Japan’s first Hori-kotatsu for residential use. ” (Ikehiko)
The electric kotatsu was invented in the early Showa era.
Showa era living room with electric kotatsu (image)
Nowadays, most kotatsu are electric kotatsu. When was the electric kotatsu invented?“The heat source for kotatsu tables became electric in the early Showa era.
The National Electric Kotatsu, released by Matsushita Electric Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (now Panasonic Holdings) in 1929, was well received for its advanced features such as temperature control and safety devices, and sold 45,000 units in its first year and sold in the following year. It became a huge hit, selling 80,000 units.
During the later period of high economic growth (1957), Tokyo Shibaura Electric (currently Toshiba) released the “Denki Yakata”, which can be said to be the prototype of the current “Kotatsu Table”, which had an electric heater attached to the top of the table. “Gurakotatsu” was released and became popular in many households.
Other major home appliance manufacturers began manufacturing kotatsu tables one after another, and sales reached a total of 45 million units over the next 17 years, reaching a peak of 3.68 million units in 1974 (Showa 49).
During this period, around 1959 (Showa 34), kotatsu with a top plate also became popular. With the kotatsu table and top plate now available, the kotatsu came to be loved by Japanese people as a symbol of family togetherness.” (Ikehiko)
Today’s kotatsu are changing to meet the needs of the times, such as furniture-style kotatsu that can be used even in the summer, and space-saving types for people living alone.
This winter, how about enjoying the kotatsu not only as a heating device but also as a piece of interior decoration, and once again using it as a place for family gatherings and conversations?
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2023-12-29 20:10:00
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