kijiri　木尻

KEY WORD :　architecture / folk dwellings

1　One of the seats around the sunken hearth *irori 囲炉裏, in the main everyday living room of vernacular houses *minka 民家 of the Edo period. It was the seat on the side closest to the earth-floored area *doma 土間, and was directly opposite the seat occupied by the master of the house *yokoza 横座. The kijiri was the seat of lowest status and was reserved for servants, newly married brides, yome 嫁, and junior members of the family. There were many local names for the kijiri, notably *shimoza 下座, hijiri 火尻, and rojiri 炉尻. 2　In vernacular houses in parts of Gunma and Yamanashi prefectures, an area used to store logs and timber for the fire. Usually situated between the sunken hearth irori and the edge of the earth-floored area doma, but sometimes located in a corner of the doma. Also called kijiro 木じろ or kijira 木じら. 3　When logs were floated down a river without lashing them together to form a raft, the last log in a batch was called kijiri. In the Edo period, a man called kijiri yakunin 木尻役人 was stationed on the kijiri to oversee the safe transport of the logs. 4　In the Yoshino 吉野 district of Nara, a marshalling area where logs floated down a river were pulled ashore.

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