hachiro 八炉

The eight basic ways of positioning a hearth, *ro 炉, in a tea ceremony room, *chashitsu 茶室. They include: *yojōhangiri 四畳半切 (a hearth cut in a half-size mat), *daimegiri 台目切 (a hearth cut in a small-size mat)— these two are called *dero 出炉 meaning a hearth set outside the host's mat—*mukōgiri 向切 (a hearth cut inside the host's mat), and *sumiro 隅炉 (a hearth cut in the host's mat but in the corner of the room). The latter two are called *iriro 入炉. These four arrangements can be placed in a normal position—*hongatte 本勝手, with the hearth on the left side, the host's place in front of it and guests on the host's right—or in a reverse position, *gyakugatte 逆勝手—with the hearth on the right and the guests to the left of the host. Not all eight positions are widely used however. Generally, the normal positions are used more often, while those in the reverse position are rarely used.