Kotatsu

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A modern Japanese Kotatsu

A kotatsu (炬燵, kotatsu^?), used almost exclusively in Japan, is a low, wooden table frame covered by a futon, or heavy blanket, upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source, often built into the table itself.

1 Types
2 Use
3 Other countries
4 In culture
5 See also

[edit] Types

There are two kinds of kotatsu used in Japan today, differing in the configuration and the type of heating:

Electric: The modern style of kotatsu consists of a table with an electric heater attached to the underside of the table. The kotatsu is usually set on a thin futon, like a throw rug. A second, thicker futon is placed over the kotatsu table, above which the tabletop is placed. The electric heater attached to the underside of the table heats the space under the comforter.

Charcoal: The more traditional type is a table placed over a recessed floor. The pit is cut into the floor and is about 40 centimeters deep. A charcoal or electric heater is placed somewhere in the pit's floor, walls, or, as in the modern-style kotatsu, attached to the table-frame.

[edit] Use

Generally, a blanket is draped over the frame under the table-top. A person then sits on the floor with their legs (or most of their body if napping) under the table with the blanket draped over the lower body. Though this only heats up the lower body, it can keep one quite comfortable even in an unheated/under-heated room. In the summer, the blanket may be removed and the kotatsu can be used as a normal table.

Most Japanese housing is un- or under-insulated, and they rely primarily on space heating. Heat is expensive because of the lack of insulation, and the draftiness of housing. A kotatsu is a relatively inexpensive way to stay warm in the winter, as the futons trap the warm air.

The kotatsu was originally designed for people wearing Japanese style clothes, where the heat would enter through the bottom of the robes and exit around the neck, thus heating the entire body.

[edit] Other countries

Kotatsu are also a traditional part of Iranian culture, where they are known as korsi. Usually a special woven rug called the ru-korsi is thrown over the blankets, to protect them from food stains. It used to be quite popular for entire families to gather together under the Korsi during the Yalda celebrations.

[edit] In culture

The Nobel Prize winning Author Yasunari Kawabata has many references to kotatsu in his novel Snow Country. They appear throughout the novel illustrating their common use in Japanese culture and housing.