Morisuna

• Other Names: 立砂 (tatesuna)
• Japanese: 盛砂 (morisuna)

Morisuna, also known as tatesuna, were small conical piles of sand placed in the Edo period to either side of the entrance of a lodgings, such as a honjin, when welcoming an elite guest. Along with a decorative broom and bucket (kazari hôki and kazari teoke) also placed near the entrance, these were meant as a sign of purity and cleanliness, and as a sign that preparations had been undertaken, and completed, to properly receive the elite visitor.

The practice of placing morisuna emerged in the Muromachi period (or perhaps earlier) as a sign to passersby and residents of the town that an elite person was being welcomed or was in temporary residence; they also served for that elite visitor as a marker for the entryway of their lodgings. The practice of arranging morisuna fell out of practice at the most elite residences – such as the Jurakudai and Nijô castle – in the late 16th century, but it was taken up around that same time by commoners, becoming a standard practice at honjin in post-stations and port towns, and elsewhere.

References

• Kurushima Hiroshi, “Morisuna, makisuna, kazari teoke, hôki, kinsei ni okeru chisô no hitotsu toshite” 盛砂・蒔砂・飾り手桶・箒 : 近世における「馳走」の一つとして, Shigaku zasshi 95:8 (1986), 1347.