Irori

An irori (囲炉裏, 居炉裏) is a traditional Japanese sunken hearth fired with charcoal.

Used for heating the home and for cooking food, it is essentially a square, stone-lined pit in the floor, equipped with an adjustable pothook – called a jizaikagi (自在鉤) and generally consisting of an iron rod within a bamboo tube – used for raising or lowering a suspended pot or kettle by means of an attached lever which is often decoratively designed in the shape of a fish.

Similar to kerosene heaters common in rural Japan, burning charcoal produces fine particulates and carbon monoxide, the latter which can pose immediate health hazards in a poorly ventilated space.

Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter has been implicated in elevated rates of glaucoma and cataracts.

[4] High rates have been observed among smokers and rural Indian farmers who practice stubble burning.