1.
tatami room; formal Japanese-style room
A polite way to refer to a Japanese-style room with tatami flooring, especially one used for entertaining guests.
お座敷にどうぞ。
Please come into the tatami room.
お座敷に通されて、お茶を出された。
I was shown to the tatami room and served tea.
立派なお座敷のある旅館に泊まった。
I stayed at an inn with a magnificent tatami room.
2.
banquet with geisha entertainment; being called to entertain
A banquet or gathering in a tatami room where geisha perform. By extension, also refers to an invitation or booking for a geisha to attend an event.
お座敷がかかる。
To receive a booking (for geisha entertainment).
舞妓さんのお座敷遊びを体験した。
I experienced a banquet with maiko entertainment.
京都では観光客でもお座敷遊びができるプランがある。
In Kyoto, there are plans that allow even tourists to enjoy a geisha banquet experience.
POLITENESS:
The お prefix makes this a polite form of 座敷. Both forms are used, but お座敷 is more common in hospitality contexts.
CULTURAL NOTE:
In sense 2, お座敷 refers to the traditional world of geisha entertainment. お座敷遊び includes games, conversation, dance performances, and music by geisha or maiko in a private tatami room setting. This is a key part of Kyoto's traditional culture.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- お座敷に上がる (to enter the tatami room)
- お座敷がかかる (to receive a geisha booking)
- お座敷遊び (geisha banquet entertainment)
- お座敷芸 (geisha performing arts)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 座敷: tatami room — without the polite お prefix
- 和室: Japanese-style room — the standard modern term for a tatami room