noun
portable tokonoma dais
A movable raised platform used to create a temporary tokonoma (alcove) in a room. Often used in tea ceremony or traditional interior design when a permanent tokonoma is not available.
See also: 床の間
茶会のために置き床を用意した。
We prepared a portable tokonoma dais for the tea gathering.
床の間 is a permanent built-in alcove, while 置き床 is a portable, removable version.
Compound of 置き (oki, 'placing') + 床 (toko, 'raised floor' or 'alcove'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term refers to a movable platform used as a substitute for a permanent tokonoma.