{{Short description|Small Japanese charcoal grill}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} {{Italic title|reason=:Category:Japanese words and phrases}}
[[File:ShichirinSanma Japan.JPG|thumb|''Shichirin'' grill with Pacific saury (''sanma'')]]
'''''Shichirin''''' ({{Audio|Ja-Shichirin.oga|pronunciation}}; {{Langx|ja|七輪}}, literally "seven wheels") is a small Japanese charcoal grill.
==Etymology== ''Shichirin'' being a compound word made up of the characters 七 (''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 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.''<ref>{{cite web |title=七輪 |url=http://gogen-allguide.com/si/shichirin.html |website=Gogen yurai jiten |date=3 April 2007 |publisher=語源由来辞典 |accessdate=1 August 2019}}</ref>
==Description== thumb|A basic ''shichirin'' The ''shichirin'' is a lightweight, compact, and easy-to-move cooking stove. Most modern ''shichirin'' are produced from rigid blocks of diatomaceous earth 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.<ref>{{Citation|title=THE MAKING （78）七輪ができるまで| date=14 January 2014 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXs6-hTiE9Y |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211214/hXs6-hTiE9Y |archive-date=2021-12-14 |url-status=live|language=en|access-date=2021-10-01}}{{cbignore}}</ref> 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 and diatomaceous earth versions were common.<ref>[http://www.city.onojo.fukuoka.jp/library/kyouiku/rekisi/shuppan/minzoku-14.pdf 「大野城市歴史資料展示室解説シート民俗No. 14 民具1（食生活にかかわる民具）」大野城市教育委員会] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002131505/http://www.city.onojo.fukuoka.jp/library/kyouiku/rekisi/shuppan/minzoku-14.pdf |date=2011-10-02 }}</ref> The shape is mainly cylindrical, square, or rectangular, and the size also varies. In the Kansai region, they are also known as ''kanteki''.
<gallery mode="packed" widths="160px" heights="160px"> File:Edo personal stove.JPG|A ''shichirin'' of the Edo period File:ShichirinMokutan.JPG|With charcoal File:ShichirinSausage Japan.JPG|Grilling sausages File:Tikutikutikuwa (cropped).jpg|Grilling ''chikuwa'' </gallery>
== Use == [[Image:Japanese Shichirin Hibachi Conro.jpg|thumb|Various ''shichirin'' sold in Tokyo]] Charcoal is commonly used as a fuel for a shichirin. For outdoor cooking, black charcoal is used. When indoors, binchōtan 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.
==North American "hibachi"== {{Main|Hibachi}} thumb|North American "Hibachi" cast iron grill 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 to refer to Japanese steak houses or teppanyaki "iron hot plate" restaurants.<ref>[http://www.excite.co.jp/News/bit/00091117673827.html 英語の「Hibachi」は火鉢じゃなかった] exciteニュース 2005年6月2日</ref>
==See also== * List of stoves
==References== <references />
Category:Barbecue Category:Cooking appliances Category:Japanese cuisine terms Category:Japanese food preparation utensils Category:Portable furniture
{{Japan-culture-stub}}