iriro 入炉

Keywords
Architecture
Tea Houses

The placement of the fire-box or hearth cut within the host's mat *temae datami 点前畳; *dōgu datami 道具畳, in a tea ceremony room *chashitsu 茶室. The fire-box is usually cut on the left side of the mat but some are cut on the right side. There are eight common styles for the rustic style tea ceremony rooms, four with hearth on the left and four on the right.In Chadō mochizukishū 茶道望月集, written by Kubo Fūgoan Yūmu 久保風後庵又夢 in 1723, it is stated that the iriro is cut in the corner of the mat closest to the kitchen *mizuya 水屋. Usually, this arrangement is used in an informal style tea ceremony room. These small rooms *koma 小間, with tea master and guests in close proximity intensified the simple, quiet environment imperative to wabi わび spirit, a fusion of religious aesthetic principles and art. Examples: Myōkian Taian 妙喜庵待庵, Kyoto; Daitokuji Shinjuan Teigyokuken 大徳寺真珠庵庭玉軒, both in Kyoto.