Chirori reinvents the Japanese hearth for modern restaurants

The Japanese hearth gets a modern restaurant update in Chirori's rotating Samurai Fire irori, handcrafted in Shigaraki ware. Read how it works.

Prajakta Sanjay Warwadkar

Jun 16, 2026 - 05:10

Chirori reinvents the Japanese hearth for modern restaurants

Chirori's Samurai Fire rotating Japanese hearth grilling skewered food over a central column of charcoal

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SHIGARAKI, Japan, June 16, 2026 — An Osaka-based maker of traditional Japanese hearths has reimagined the centuries-old "irori" for the modern restaurant, releasing a rotating, horizontal grill called Samurai Fire. The company, Chirori, designed the hearth as open-fire cooking gains traction among high-end Japanese restaurants.

The trend has opened new demand for traditional craftspeople, and the Japanese hearth sits at the center of it. Chirori's version pairs the look of a classic irori with features aimed at professional kitchens, including a matching rice cooker.

How the rotating Japanese hearth works

Samurai Fire cooks horizontally in a style known as genshiyaki, with a column of charcoal stacked at the center of the hearth. Rather than heating food by convection from below, the method relies mainly on infrared heat radiating sideways.

According to Chirori, that approach penetrates food more evenly for a texture that is crisp outside and juicy inside. It also reduces smoke from dripping oil, and when fish is skewered head-down, fat from the belly runs into the leaner meat to add flavor. The rotating design lets chefs monitor and serve each item more easily.

Handcrafted in an ancient kiln town

Despite its metallic finish, the hearth is made of Shigaraki ware from Shiga Prefecture. Each piece is handcrafted by Bunjiro V, the fifth-generation master of the Bunjiro Kiln, which dates to 1893 in Shigaraki, one of Japan's six ancient kiln towns.

Because each hearth is made by a single craftsman, and because firing such a large earthenware piece without cracking or warping is difficult, production is very limited. Samurai Fire comes in 90-centimeter (35-inch) and 65-centimeter (26-inch) sizes.

Built for restaurants, available to buy

Chirori developed the hearth largely to give restaurants an eye-catching Japanese cooking style for visitors from abroad, choosing the accessible name Samurai Fire over the more technical "Shigaraki Ware Genshiyaki Irori." The smaller model sells for 256,000 yen (about US$1,600) and the larger for 491,000 yen (about $3,060).

The hearths are sold through the company's Chirori online store, though buyers may wait while each unit is made. Diners are more likely to encounter one at a restaurant in Japan.