- Tatami mats are thick, woven mats used in Japanese houses as a floor covering, and are usually made of a rice straw backing with a facing of woven rushes. Various kinds of tatami mats are mentioned in the "Kojiki" (Record of Ancient Matters). It appears that they were spread in layers and resembled a kind of thin matting used nowadays.
- The thick tatami mats now used, made of "tsukanami" (straw bundled together) with a facing sewn on, did not appear until more modern times.
- Normally, 40cm of rice straw is compressed to 5cm in thickness to make the backing, to which the facing is attached. The facing is made by entwining warp thread (such as cotton, hemp or Manila hemp) around each rush stem and weaving it on a device similar to a loom to make the surface uniformly flat. The tatami mat is completed by sewing on various types of edging (also machine woven) by sewing machine. The grade of the tatami facing is determined by the kind of warp used; Manila hemp thread is used for high-quality mats.
- Rice straw was conventionally used for tatami backing, but the harvesting of rice by combine harvester has led to shortages, and tatami makers now depend mainly on imports. Imports of tatami backing in 1996 totaled 13,632 tons (approx. 467,000 mats), and imports by country were as follows:
| Country |
Imports |
Share |
| Taiwan |
8,886tons |
65% |
South Korea
|
2,440tons |
18% |
| China |
1,583tons |
12% |
| North Korea |
424tons |
3% |
| Others |
299tons |
2% |
The price per mat was JY3,200 for Japanese straw backing and around JY2,700 for backing made in China. Rice straw backing is not only heavy (one mat weighs around 30kg), but it can also become moldy and mite infested if mats are not aired in the sun and become damp. The construction of modern housing also means that excess moisture absorbed by the backing cannot escape under the flooring. Consequently, new materials such as the following are now being used for tatami backing:
- Four-layer combined insulation board backing
- Polystyrene foam backing
- Double-layer combined insulation board/polystyrene foam backing
- Triple-layer combined insulation board/polystyrene foam backing
- Combined polystyrene/rice straw backing
Tatami backing made from new materials is light, weighing approximately a third of traditional backing (under 10kg as opposed to 30kg). It is therefore easier to move around, becomes less damp, is much less likely to have mites or become moldy, and is hygienic.
- Land available for cultivating rushes has also fallen rapidly due to industrialization. There is still a major shortage even after combining the output from the traditional rush-growing areas of Kumamoto, Fukuoka and Okayama, and so in recent years, Japan has had to rely on imports. The total volume of rush imports in 1996 was 38,830 tons (19,326 tons of rush tatami facing and 19,504 tons of outdoor rush matting). Imports by country were as follows:
| Country |
Imports |
Share |
| China |
38,531tons |
99.2% |
| Taiwan |
270tons |
0.8% |
| Thailand |
14tons |
0.8% |
South Korea
|
7tons |
0.8% |
| Vietnam |
6tons |
0.8%0 |
- Total demand for tatami facing alone was 42.14 million pieces in 1996.
Japanese-made facing 26.93m pcs (64% self-sufficient) Imported facing 15.21m pcs (incl. 13.09m pcs from China) There was excess production in 1995 due to the good rush harvest in China, and the price of tatami facing fell, but prices rose in 1996 with the fall in the yen and slight shortages following a poor harvest in China. Domestically-produced facing costs around JY2,000, and Chinese facing is approximately JY1,600 (and around JY1,200 at its cheapest). The finer the weave, the higher the grade.
- There are also some imports of rushes alone. In 1996, total imports of rushes as materials were 1,102 tons. Imports by country were as follows:
| Country |
Imports |
Share |
| China |
987tons |
90% |
| Vietnam |
80tons |
7% |
| Taiwan |
33tons |
3% |
| Philippines |
1tons |
0% |
Japanese rushes are thin, sticky and have a pleasant smell. While Chinese rushes are thick, tough and strong, they are less aromatic, change color quickly, and flake.Rushes are planted out in December and harvested< in July in Japan, and are planted out a month earlier in November in China, and harvested in June.
- There is a JIS standard for straw tatami backing, and a JAS standard for rush tatami facing. Not having the JIS/JAS standard does not necessarily mean the products will not sell, but products with them are more marketable.
- Some ten years ago, many Japanese tatami facing makers formed mergers with Chinese makers, took machinery for making tatami facing to China, and provided technical guidance. Large imports of facing began around ten years ago. Import duty on facing is usually 6%, but a preferential duty of 3% (in 1997) is levied on imports of up to JY600 billion from China, for example.
- Tatami facing is imported via wholesalers in areas of production, known as middlemen, and there is weekly bidding on the market.
- The origins of tatami edging ("tatami-beri") can be traced back to the use for tatami in the imperial house of fabric imported from Korea with the introduction of Buddhism. At that time, edging was used to indicate different ranks, and edging patterns reflected a family's dignity and refinement. Various materials are now used, such as silk, hemp, cotton and synthetic fibers, and there is a huge range of colors and patterns. There are no imports, and all tatami edging is woven by machine in Japan, like "obi" belts, to a width of approximately 73mm. When sewn to the tatami by sewing machine, the edging is around 27-30mm wide. Traditionally, tatami makers used to sew the edging on by hand, but nowadays the edging for all but the highest quality tatami mats is sewn on by sewing machine.
- There are still some 23,000 tatami makers throughout Japan. When someone places an order to have their tatami mats renewed, the tatami maker visits the customer to take room dimensions, calculates the required size for each mat to fit the room's dimensions, makes the tatami mats and takes them to floor the customer's room. The special skills and techniques required by the tatami maker due to the small margin for error (a gap of just 5mm would be too large) explain the survival of these craftsmen and the absence even now of large companies in this sector. Large companies have not attempted to enter into this market as even if they mass produced tatami mats identical in size, the mats would not fit rooms exactly and would be too large or have gaps between them. Tatami makers therefore still survive to turn tatami mats every two or three years and renew the tatami facing every four or five years.
- Tatami mats come in the following four sizes:
- (A) Honkenma: 95.5 x 191 x 5.5 cm (known as "Kyoma")
- (B) Sanrokuma: 91 x 182 x 5.5 cm (known as "Chukyoma")
- (C) Gohachima: 88 x 176 x 5.5-6 cm (known as "Edoma" or "Inakama")
- (D) Gorokuma: 85 x 170 x 5 cm (known as "Danchima")
The most popular sizes are Honkenma and Gohachima.
- It is common nowadays for people to lay down carpets on top of tatami instead of replacing them, but this practice is exceedingly unhygienic and creates a breeding ground for mold and mites.
- In recent years, tatami mats have been not only used as a traditional form of flooring, but have also been laid on Western-style flooring as a form of interior decoration, and they are now available in a variety of colors and designs. Tatami carpets are also being produced.
- Western-style rooms are becoming increasingly popular and the number of rooms with tatami flooring has fallen. Demand for tatami mats has decreased considerably compared with the past, but as noted above, Japan is only 64% self-sufficient and any increase in demand would have to be met by imports. Almost 100% of imports of tatami facing now comes from China, but it appears likely that imports from Vietnam will increase in the near future. Note: All figures based on Ministry of Finance trade statistics.
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