There are three reasons why this isn't the case.  First, the furo is portable, so it can be placed as far as possible from the guests.  In high summer, it's moved to the  very left of the host, as far as it can be from the guests, and it's gradually moved a little closer as winter approaches.  The ro, in contrast, is as close to the guests as the heat source gets, and it can't be moved.  Second, if you're using charcoal in the ro, then the guests gather right around the fire at certain points in the tea ceremony, ie: when you're laying the charcoal before the kaiseki and before usucha.  And third, the fire is actually larger in a ro, because the charcoal is bigger than that used for furo.

Last edited by Nick (2009-12-09 21:15:08)

Hi Nick!

Nick wrote:

There are three reasons why this isn't the case.

I think that you missed a fourth reason. The ro would be open for general use such as room heating during the cold months while it would not be in such use during the warm months. Basically, the ro is an architectural feature found in places other than tea huts. Since the ro is closed during the warm months, a furo is brought into the room expressly for making tea. These considerations apply even if the room is dedicated to tea and not used generally. Why? Because, the tea room is descended from or emulates a mountain hermitage.