Tatami

mats are a traditional Japanese flooring. The top surface is made of woven straw. Traditional tatami are packed with straw. Nowadays some of them are packed with styrofoam.  Tatami are individual mats. They have a uniform size and shape. They have borders of brocade or plain green cloth.

Tatami were originally a luxury item for the rich at a time when lower classes had mat-covered dirt floors. Tatami were gradually popularized. They finally reached the homes of commoners towards the end of the 17th century.

## History

Japanese people have used _tatami_ since the Nara Era (710-794). They were knitted and became thicker like modern _tatami_.  People who lived in the Heian Era stepped onto _tatami_ to show their power and they spread the _tatami_ only in a necessary part of the room.

The use of _tatami_ was a little different from now. The _shoin_ style of traditional Japanese residential architecture began in the Kamakura Era. During this time, people stopped spreading _tatami_ around the room and placing them in the middle.  They started to spread _tatami_ through the room. People decided to spread _tatami_ by the hearth and sit erect with their legs folded under.

_Tatami_ has been changing together with people's life style. _Tatami_ became common for people in the middle of the Edo Era. Farmers started to use them in the Meiji Era. The removal of _tatami_ regulation made them more common in the Meiji Era. Japanese people often dry the _tatami_. If the _tatami_'s surface was discolored, people often turned them over. With the economic growth after World War Two people started to use chairs and carpets. Japanese people think flooring is not relaxing or soundproof enough, so people still use _tatami_ now.

## Making Tatami

_Tatami_ is made with a rush plant, _igusa_. Rush is planted in the rice fields in August. The seedlings are dug out in November, and a good seedling is chosen. The chosen seedlings are planted in the rice fields again in December. By the end of June to the middle of July, the high-quality rush grows up to about one meter tall and it will be harvested the next year.

The rush should be dry after harvesting, and keep the peculiar smell and the color of the rush. The rush is selected according to length and the thickness, and it is checked for bruising.

After the harvest ends, _tatami_ is made. Because Japanese rooms are different sizes, _tatami_ are made in different sizes. The base of the _tatami_ is made first. _Tatami_ is woven with a special machine. It similar to the weaving on a kimono. The next part is the wick of tatami, called _toko_. When the _toko_ is 40 centimeters or more thick, and the shape is straightened. The mat is complete, and that is called _mushiro_. The _tatami_ is complete when it is joined to the toko and the decoration on the mat edges are sewn.

## _Igusa_

_Igusa_ is a perennial plant of the family of _igusa_. _Igusa_ smells good. It has a fresh, grassy smell. In English, they are called rushes. _Igusa_ blooms from May through June. The plant grows up to a length of 100 centimeters or less. They grow in marshes where sunshine is good. In Japan, there are 30 kinds of _igusa_ growing in many different areas.

_Tatami_ is made from natural _igusa_ that must be flexible from the root to the tip, and the thickness and the color varies slightly.  About 4000 to 7000 _igusa_ are used for the_ tatami_. Generally the best _tatami_ uses more and longer _igusa_ rushes.

There are many benefits in using _igusa_ such as air purification, heat insulation, elasticity, cooling (especially in hot summer seasons), eco-friendly and sound absorbing qualities. _Igusa_ _tatami_ is also smooth to the touch, so it is comfortable for babies and young children. Most Japanese like _tatami_. Many homes have at least one tatami room.

## _Tatami_

_Tatamiberi_ is the cloth that covers the edge and also decorates the _tatami_. Some _tatami_ don’t have it. In English, it is called the mat edge. The width of _tatamiberi_ is about three centimeters. The material on the _tatamiberi_ is cotton yarn, a synthetic material string, and a gold thread. The features change according to what strings are combining with _tatamiberi_. The woven color handle sets off the room. There are two types, and the atmosphere of the room changes by the _tatamiberi_.

There are many kinds of _tatamiberi_. But _tatamiberi_ was used to show status. For example, the emperor,  ministers,  priests, and  scholars had different styles. It was recorded in "Amanomokuzu" in 1420.

Japan has etiquette about _tatamiberi_. Japanese are taught not to step on the _tatamiberi_. It is easy to tear _tatamiberi_ when stepping in the weakest part. Stepping on _tatamiberi_ fades the color on the edge of cotton and hemp in the _tatami_. Therefore, etiquette means "not to hurt the mat carelessly stepping when you visit another house, pay it attention". Also, family crests were embroidered on the _tatamiberi_ in old times, too. Stepping on the family crest was taboo.

## References

- Okitatami.com. Iguchi tatami fusuma. Retrieved on 3 Jun 2009.
- Tatamilife. com. DAIKEN. Retried on 2 July 2009.
- 知って得する豆知識.OCN. Retrieved on 15 May 2009.
- My Flower Pictorial Book. Retrieved on 15 May 2009.
- Ohmiya blog.高田織物株式会社.Retrieved on 15 May 2009.
- Ohno-naiso. Ohnonaiso.Retrieved on 14 May 2009.
- Tatami no dekirumade no koutei.Ishiiseitatmi. Retrieved on 14 May 2009.