Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A niche or an alcove in a Japanese home for displaying a flower arrangement, kakemono, or other piece of art.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
recess in a domestic interior in which a hangingscroll and aflower arrangement is displayed
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Formal Japanese reception rooms feature an alcove called a tokonoma, which is used to display treasured curios.
Geisha, A Life Mineko Iwasaki with Rande Brown 2002
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Formal Japanese reception rooms feature an alcove called a tokonoma, which is used to display treasured curios.
Geisha, A Life Mineko Iwasaki with Rande Brown 2002
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The tokonoma is a very quaint feature of a Japanese house.
Peeps at Many Lands: Japan John Finnemore
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In the Japanese New Year celebrations, the display of a growing miniature plum or apricot tree known as tokonoma hardly ever misses.
EzineArticles 2010
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The third wall, a solid one of smoke-blue plaster, held the niche called "tokonoma," where pictures are hung and flower vases set.
The Dragon Painter Mary McNeil Fenollosa
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At one end are two alcoves with floors of polished wood, called tokonoma.
Unbeaten Tracks in Japan Isabella Lucy 2004
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Each room must have a tatami floor and a tokonoma alcove replete with the appropriate monthly hanging scroll and a suitable arrangement of flowers in a suitable vase.
Geisha, A Life Mineko Iwasaki with Rande Brown 2002
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When we entered the room, the dresser Suehiroya asked Mother Sakaguchi to take the place of honor in front of the tokonoma.
Geisha, A Life Mineko Iwasaki with Rande Brown 2002
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I still remember the scroll that was hanging in the tokonoma that day.
Geisha, A Life Mineko Iwasaki with Rande Brown 2002
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How valuable is the scroll hanging in the tokonoma?
Geisha, A Life Mineko Iwasaki with Rande Brown 2002
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The company’s name is inspired by the Japanese concept tokonoma, which describes the alcove of a home where paintings, pottery, and other decorative items are tastefully displayed.
Tidy Everything From Loose Lipstick to Flatware With the Best Drawer Organizers Morgan Bulman 2022
knitandpurl commented on the word tokonoma
"Entering, you first noticed the traditional tokonoma to the immediate right, while a closet took up the rest of that side of the wall."
The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide, translated by Eric Selland, p 21 of the New Directions paperback edition
October 24, 2014