Also hirasanjō-no-seki 平三畳席. A three-mat tea ceremony room *chashitsu 茶室 with the crawl-in entrance *nijiriguchi 躙口, on the long side of the room floor plan hirairi 平入. In some hirasanjō the alcove is opposite the entrance, but others are entered beside alcove. The Onkoshū 温故集 of 1748 states that "A tea ceremony room that is entered from the narrow end is called a *fukasanjō 深三畳," and one that is entered from long side is called a hirasanjō. The Chadō mochizukishū 茶道望月集 (1724) states that the tea ceremony room at Myōkian 妙喜庵, in Kyoto, is of the hirasanjō type. During the Momoyama period, three-mat or 3 1/2-mat tea ceremony rooms of both styles were very popular. According to an entry in the Sōtan nikki 宗湛日記 (dated December 5, 1586), Kamiya Sōtan 神谷宗湛 (1551-1635) and Sōden 宗伝 held a night-time tea ceremony at Jakuan じゃく庵, in a hirasanjō tea ceremony room that had a firebox. The firebox in hirasanjō is either placed on the far side of the entrance or on the near side. However, the firebox was usually placed on the near side of the tea ceremony room because it allowed more space for the tea masters to display their valuable utensils. The term hirasanjō is now obsolete. Example: Shukōan 珠光庵 at Shōmyōji 称名寺, Nara.
