THE JAPANESE FIREPLACE by Religious Herald

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jun 24, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 24.

THE JAPANESE FIREPLACE.

By Religious Herald

The kotatsu, or fireplace, is a very important feature of the winter life in Japan.

Its beginning is a hole in the floor from one to two feet square; in this an iron pot is sunk, in which live charcoal is piled. Then a wooden frame or rack, big enough to cover the hole, and about a foot high, is placed over this; and over all is thrown a large, thick quilt, the edges of which spread far out into the room. This is the heating apparatus of the house, and around it the family spend all their leisure time. The method of sitting is to put either one's feet or one's knees to the fire, and draw the quilt up as far as possible over lap, hands, and arms. On top of the quilt, where it falls over the frame, is often put a large, square, polished board, which serves as a table.—Religious Herald.