The Japanese heating tool "KOTATSU"

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 Kotatsu is a heating appliance that everyone in Japan knows about.
It is commonly used in homes.

https://kaden.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/column/ohkawara/1007815.html

The kotatsu that is widely used in Japan today uses electricity.
The first electric kotatsu appeared in 1957.
It was released by the Japanese electrical manufacturer Toshiba.
Because electric kotatsu don't use fire, there was no risk of fire, and because they weren't expensive, they became a big hit all over Japan.

https://x.gd/7urrQ
 

After that, various rival companies started selling kotatsu.
Even now, there are various types, such as single-person kotatsu, large-family kotatsu, and tall table-type kotatsu, and they are an essential heating appliance in the winter in Japan.

eight views of snow landscape - Seiran / Utagawa Kuniyoshi

 The kotatsu originally started out as a wooden frame (small turret) built on top of an irori (hearth) and covered with a futon.
The irori is a hearth built in the center of the room, and was used for various purposes such as boiling water, cooking, and warming up. It is a small flame zone.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japanese_Traditional_Hearth_L4817.jpg

Later, a portable pot-shaped heating appliance called a hibachi appeared, and kotatsu in the hibachi style appeared.
(A hibachi is not a shichirin.

Couple in Kimono warming themselves by Hibachi 1953

Because old-fashioned kotatsu used fire, there was always a risk of fire breaking out in the house.
For this reason, people began using kotatsu on a date associated with the Japanese god of fire, Inoshishi(Wild boar).
The date associated with the wild boar is called "Inoko DAY" and is around the middle of November.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inoko_ishi.jpg

The date when kotatsu are put away varies from person to person, and there are many people who use them until around May or June.

(Nowadays, all kotatsu are electric.)

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