Tokonoma - Art of Japanese Bonsai

Tokonoma Specifications

Tokonoma in Japanese simple means a kind of decorative raised alcove and is often associated with the Japanese Bonsai, which is housed in a recess in a wall or hedge, and often curved. You would normally find this type of decor in a Japanese style room with a tatami floor and where decorative scrolls are hung.

This popular Japanese home interior decoration alcove or Tokonoma is considered one of the four essential elements in the main hall of a noble residence. The word Tokonoma can actually mean the alcove itself, or the room where the alcove resides. Tokonoma first appeared in the late Muromachi period (14th-16th century).

Most of the time there is probably little artwork on the walls found in a japanese home decor. The typically western style of home decoration can appear vulgar and burdensome to the Japanese eye.

A traditional Japanese family would have a variety of objects and scrolls that they would display in the Tokonoma depending on the season or the nearest holidays. Based on the Tokonoma specifications and guidelines, usually there will be a place to hang a picture or calligraphic poem. At times there would be a place or a small shelf for a flower arrangement. You could even see an incense holder.

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