noun
folding bench at the front of a traditional townhouse
A low wooden bench placed outside the front of a machiya (traditional townhouse), often with a fold-down seat that can be used as a display shelf or for sitting. Associated with Kyoto and other historic merchant districts.
See also: 町家 (まちや)
京都の町家の前には、ばったり床几が置かれていることがある。
In front of Kyoto machiya townhouses, you sometimes see a battari-shōgi folding bench.
ばったり床几は、普段は折りたたんで壁に立てかけておく。
The battari-shōgi is usually folded up and leaned against the wall.
A traditional townhouse, often the type of building where a ばったり床几 is found. ばったり床几 is a specific piece of furniture associated with 町家.
The term combines ばったり (an onomatopoeic word suggesting something that flips or folds down) with 床几 (a low bench or stool). The exact origin is uncertain, but it likely describes the folding action of the bench.