Japan · Textile / Structural Craft
畳 (Tatami)
Tatami (畳) mat making is the craft of producing Japan's traditional floor covering — a composite structure of rice straw base (床 toko), woven rush surface (ゴザ goza — from igusa rush, Juncus effusus), and decorative border tape (縁 heri). The surface is woven in a specific herringbone pattern from igusa rush — but the critical craft knowledge is in the base (toko) compression and the surface tension: the rice straw base must be compressed to precisely calibrated density that produces the characteristic firm-yet-yielding feel when walked upon, and the rush surface must be stretched to exactly the right tension before stitching to the base — too tight: surface wrinkles when compressed by foot; too loose: surface sags and igusa rushes separate. A master tatami-shi calibrates toko density and surface tension by foot pressure — walking on the assembled mat before final stitching.
Risk level: Endangered · Not separately inscribed; recognized within Japanese traditional housing heritage
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