about TATAMI

Tatami is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms.

Traditionally made of rice straw to form the core with a covering of woven soft rush (IGUSA) straw.

During KAMAKURA (1192～) and MUROMACHI (1336～) periods, Tatami gradually came to be spread over whole rooms.

Tatami were originally a luxury item for the nobility. During the HEIAN period (794～), the flooring of SHINDEN-ZUKURI palatial rooms were mainly wooden, and Tatami were only used as seating for the highest aristocrats.

Nowadays Japanese houses often have very few Tatami-floored rooms, if any. Having just one is not uncommon.

The rooms having Tatami flooring and other such traditional architectural features are referred to as NIHONMA (日本間) or WASHITSU (和室) “ Japanese-style room”.


Tatami are made in standard sizes, with the length exactly twice the width,

an aspect ratio of 2:1.

In Japan the size of a room is often measured by number of Tatami mats

(1 Tatami = 1 JO = 1,653 ㎡).

 

Alternatively, in terms of traditional Japanese area units, room area is

measured in terms of TSUBO. (1TSUBO = 2 Tatami – 3,306 ㎡)