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The ''shichirin'' (; , literally "seven wheels") is a small

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ...

grill.

Etymology

''Shichirin'' being a compound word made up of the characters

七 Chinese numerals are words and characters used to denote numbers in Chinese. Today, speakers of Chinese use three written numeral systems: the system of Arabic numerals used worldwide, and two indigenous systems. The more familiar indigenous ...

(''shichi'' or ''nana'', "seven") and 輪 (''rin'' or ''wa'', "wheel," "loop," or "ring"), its coinage can be suggested through the individual ''kanji''. A popular story links the ''"rin"'' of ''shichirin'' to the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...

currency denomination, the one-''rin'' coin (albeit a different character, 厘). It is said that the ''shichirin'' was an affordable way to cook a meal because the amount of charcoal needed for each lighting only cost seven ''rin.''

Description

The ''shichirin'' is a lightweight, compact, and easy-to-move cooking stove. Most modern ''shichirin'' are produced from rigid blocks of

diatomaceous earth Diatomaceous earth (), diatomite (), or kieselgur/kieselguhr is a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock that can be crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. It has a particle size ranging from more than 3 μm to l ...

mined from deposits. These blocks of earth were then carved by hand or turned by machine before being fired in a kiln and affixed with metal hardware. Some ''shichirin'' are made with a double inside and outside ceramic structure. Charcoal is chiefly used for the fuel. ''Shichirin'' are said to be made in roughly the same way today as in the Edo period, though both

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain, ...

and diatomaceous earth versions were common. The shape is mainly cylindrical, square, or rectangular, and the size also varies. In the

Kansai region The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropoli ...

, they are also known as ''kanteki''.

North American "hibachi"

In North America, small BBQ cooking stoves resembling shichirin are referred to as " hibachi" or "hibachi-style", which in Japanese refers to a small heating device which is not usually used for cooking. It has been suggested that these grills were confusingly marketed as "hibachi" when they were introduced to North America. The word "hibachi" is also (incorrectly) used in some parts of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

to refer to Japanese steak houses or

teppanyaki , often confused with , is a post-World War II style of Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food. The word ''teppanyaki'' is derived from ''teppan'' ( 鉄板), the metal plate on which it is cooked, and ''yaki'' ( 焼き), whic ...

"iron hot plate" restaurants.英語の「Hibachi」は火鉢じゃなかった
exciteニュース 2005年6月2日

Use

Charcoal is commonly used as a fuel for a shichirin. For outdoor cooking, black charcoal is used. When indoors,

binchōtan ''Binchō-tan'' ( ja, 備長炭), also called white charcoal or ''binchō-zumi,'' is a type of charcoal traditionally used in Japanese cooking. Its use dates to the Edo period, when, during the Genroku era, a craftsman named Bichū-ya Chōzae ...

is preferred. Binchōtan, a type of white charcoal, produces less of a smell when burned, can continue burning hotly for a longer time, and is less likely to flare up dangerously. As a cheaper alternative, sawdust charcoal may be used.

References

Cooking appliances Barbecue Japanese cuisine terms Portable furniture {{Japan-culture-stub

Etymology

Description

North American "hibachi"

Use

See also

References