Keywords
Architecture
Tea Houses
Lit. lower seat alcove. An alcove *tokonoma 床の間, positioned behind the host's mat *temae datami 点前畳 in a tearoom, *chashitsu 茶室. When the main guest is seated at the right front of the host, he is somewhat removed from the alcove. If a light meal, kaiseki ryōri 懐石料理 is served, the main guest is seated in front of the alcove. Sometimes gezadoko refers to an alcove located to the right of the host's mat or utensil mat *dōgu datami 道具畳 in a regular 4 1/2 mat *yojōhan 四畳半 tearoom, or to an alcove provided near the side of host's mat. A tea room with a gezadoko is known as *gezadoko-no-seki 下座床の席. This term is contrasted with jōzadoko-no-seki 上座床の席 where the tokonoma is on the same side as the stove *ro 炉.