Keywords
Architecture
General Terms
1 A seat used by a guest.
2 In traditional vernacular houses *minka 民家 of the Edo period, one of the seats around the periphery of the sunken hearth *irori 囲炉裏 in the main everyday living space of the house. It was the seat used by informal guests and also by the eldest son, chōnan 長男, or by the son-in-law of the master of the house. Usually it was located on the side of the irori closest to the entry *ōdoguchi 大戸口, facing toward the rear of the house, and directly opposite the wife's seat, kakaza 嬶座. It was thus adjacent to the master's seat *yokoza 横座. There are numerous alternative regional terms, notably mukoza 婿座, otokoire 男入れ, otokojiro 男じろ, and minamiza 南座.