noun
fireside; hearthside
Refers specifically to the area around a traditional Japanese sunken hearth (囲炉裏). Evokes a cozy, old-fashioned domestic scene.
祖母は囲炉裏端で昔話を聞かせてくれた。
My grandmother told me old stories by the fireside.
冬の夜は家族が囲炉裏端に集まった。
On winter nights, the family gathered around the hearth.
Compound of 囲炉裏 (irori, 'sunken hearth') and 端 (hata, 'edge, side'). The reading ばた is a rendaku form of はた.