Member-only story
The Hidden Benefits of Japanese Tatami — An Interview With Tatami Maker Mr. Tsunekawa
I had the pleasure to have a talk with Mr. Tsunekawa, a young tatami craftsman. His family has been making tatami for generations in their small, 160 years old workshop in Tokyo. A bit shy at first but soon very talkative, he explained me the qualities that make tatami different from other flooring, and what his job means to him and his community.
What’s a Tatami?
A tatami is a kind of traditional Japanese flooring. The tradition requires that its core, the dodai, is made from rice straw (today piled wood or cheaper materials are also common). It is covered by a mat, the goza, made of woven igusa (soft rush) straw. Most of the time, the edges of the tatami are decorated by a sort of brocade called heri.
Originally, tatami mats were only used by the samurai and the nobility, but they started being used by the common people around the 17th century. Their softness made them the perfect floor to practice martial arts, which is why you will spot them in many Japanese traditional dojos.
