tokomado　床窓

KEY WORD :　architecture / tea houses

The window in the alcove *tokonoma 床の間, of tea ceremony rooms. There are two types generally distinguished by use. Both are usually the *shitajimado 下地窓 type and both may appear in different places in the alcove, or only one may be used. Not all alcoves have windows. Tokomado also means a small sliding door in a cupboard close to the ceiling. 1　*Bokusekimado 墨蹟窓. Lit. black eatwired vine window. A window provided on the exterior side wall of an alcove in order to capture enough light to make it possible to read the scroll of calligraphy hung on the rear wall. Some bokusekimado have two *shouji 障子 opening to the left and to the right, ryouhikiwake shouji 両引分障子. If the window faces the garden, it is covered by hanging shouji *kakeshouji 掛障子, on the inside. If the window faces a hallway, the shouji are placed on the outside. Tradition ascribes the origin of the window, tokomado, to Furuta Oribe 古田織部 (1544-1615) and occasionally it is also called *oribemado 織部窓. Examples: Saiouin Yodomi-no-seki 西翁院淀看席 ; Myoushinji Keishun-in Kihakuken 妙心寺桂春院既白軒, both in Kyoto. 2　*Hana-akarimado 花明窓. A shitajimado provided on the outer side wall in a tokonoma. It is characterized by a flower vase hung in the window, otherwise it is the same as the bokusekimado. A bent nail *asagaokugi 朝顔釘, is inserted at the point where laths of bamboo and ditch reed, shitaji 下地, intersect. When the window is placed low on the exterior wall it allows the light coming in to focus on flowers arranged for the tea ceremony. Like the bokusekimado, the hana-akarimado also provides light for calligraphy. Either sliding or hanging shouji may be used as in the case of bokusekimado. Examples: Daitokuji Shinjuan Teigyokuken 大徳寺真珠庵庭玉軒, Yabunouchike En'an 藪内家燕庵, Daigoji Saｎbouin Shougetsutei 醍醐寺三宝院松月亭, all in Kyoto..

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