noun
metal chopsticks; tongs for charcoal or incense
Long metal chopsticks used to handle burning charcoal in braziers or incense in Buddhist rituals. Often associated with traditional tea ceremony or temple settings.
茶道では、火箸を使って炭をつまむ。
In the tea ceremony, one uses metal chopsticks to handle the charcoal.
お寺で、お香を火箸でつまんで香炉に入れた。
At the temple, I picked up incense with the metal tongs and placed it in the censer.
火ばし is a more general term for fire tongs or chopsticks used with fire, while 火箸 (こじ) specifically refers to the long metal chopsticks used in traditional settings like tea ceremony or temples.
Compound of 火 (hi, 'fire') and 箸 (hashi, 'chopsticks'), with rendaku voicing (hashi → bashi) and contraction to こじ. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with fire-handling chopsticks.