also: ていりょう
garden bonfire; courtyard fire
Archaic term for a bonfire lit in a garden or courtyard, especially in imperial or aristocratic settings. Often associated with ancient ceremonies or poetic imagery.
It is said that in the ancient imperial court, garden bonfires were lit at night.
万葉集には庭燎を詠んだ歌がいくつかある。
There are several poems in the Man'yōshū that sing of garden bonfires.
Standard kanji form for the reading にわび, referring to an ancient garden bonfire.
On'yomi reading; less common than にわび and mainly encountered in classical or literary contexts.
Alternate kanji form; 火 directly suggests fire, but 庭燎 is more established for this historical term.
The term 庭燎 (にわび) is composed of 庭 (garden) and 燎 (bonfire). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it appears in classical Japanese literature as a poetic and ceremonial word.