Online dictionary of history and traditions in Japan: Tokonoma

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Tokonoma

床の間
alternative words: Japanese alcove, alcove
keywords: architecture , art
related topics: Muromachi period , Kakemono , Ikebana , Kagami mochi
explanation: During Muromachi period, in upper class houses, there existed place to hang a Buddhist picture scroll and to set a low table for incense or a flower base. This place had evolved to an alcove with a little elevated soil to replace the table. This place has lost the initial religious character but still remains, in traditional Japanese houses, as an ideal place to admire a changing season by hanging a picture scroll (Kekemono) and putting a flower base (Ikebana) before it.