Lit. "alcove room." A *tatami 畳 mat room with a small alcove. There are various theories about the origin of the alcove. It may have been a sleeping alcove, built just large enough for bedding. Later, the alcove floor was raised above the level of the floor. The alcove was then enlarged to the size of two mats, and then it contracted again to one raised mat. The alcove thus became the honored seat for a guest of high rank. The other mat was placed at floor level. On occasion, a cozy alcove was formed by screens surrounding this type of arrangement.
In the Kamakura period, to the latter part of the Muromachi period, the alcove had a raised floor and could be used as a seat or a platform. By the end of the Kamakura period, a Buddhist picture was hung on the wall and was the focal point of the tokonoma. A board to display objects *oshi-ita 押板 was set before the wall hanging, on which were exhibited a vase of flowers, an incense burner, and a candlestick. These three things are important to Buddhism and are referred to as the three implements, mitsu gusoku 三具足. In the Muromachi period, it became customary to hang a scroll with a Zen priest's calligraphic inscription, along with the vase of flowers and the incense burner. The candlestick was omitted then. By the Momoyama period, the alcove took on its familiar form and was used principally for displaying treasured art objects.
The size and arrangement of the alcove varied according to the diversified tastes of the tea masters. An old record, for instance, mentions an alcove 180 cm long attached to a tea ceremony room *chashitsu 茶室 used by Murata Jukō 村田珠光 (1423-1502). This alcove was pasted with white Japanese paper called *tori no kogami 鳥の子紙 and had frames that were covered with black lacquer. Takeno Jōō 武野紹鴎 (1502-55) preferred a smaller alcove and tea ceremony room. Sen no Rikyū 千利休 (1522-91) used alcoves with styles familiar today. Characteristics from both the *shoin 書院 style alcoves and the styles of alcoves found in tea architecture were fused to produce the alcove common to ordinary dwellings.
Tokonoma are called a great variety of names such as kamizadoko 上座床 (upper seat alcove) and shimozadoko 下座床 (lower seat alcove). Sometimes tokonoma are named after the tea master who designed them, for example *oribedoko 織部床, or for the particular width of the alcove, such as *daimedoko 台目床. See *hondoko 本床, plain wooden alcove *itadoko 板床, a tatami mat alcove *tatamidoko 畳床, *fumikomidoko 踏込床, *kekomidoko 蹴込床, *murodoko 室床, *horadoko 洞床, *fukurodoko 袋床, *kabedoko 壁床, *okidoko 置床, *tsukedoko 付床, *tsuridoko 釣床, *masudoko 桝床, *kasumidoko 霞床, *ensōdoko 円窓床, *gensōdoko 原叟床, *nurimawashidoko 塗廻床.