What is the Japanese charcoal-grilling method often shortened to robata?

The Japanese charcoal-grilling method often shortened to robata is robatayaki.

Robatayaki literally names a style of cooking associated with a hearth, where seafood, vegetables, and other foods are grilled over hot charcoal. Unlike many compact charcoal grills, traditional robata uses a broad, open fireplace modeled on the irori, a Japanese hearth.

The style is linked to northern Japanese fishermen, especially on Hokkaido. A popular account says fishermen cooked around communal hearths and protected boats from intense heat by enclosing binchōtan charcoal in stone boxes. Robata later became a restaurant format, with diners often seated around a central grill.

Robatayaki is easy to confuse with teppanyaki, but the cooking surfaces differ: teppanyaki uses a hot iron plate, while robatayaki is fundamentally charcoal grilling. It is also related to, but not identical with, kushiyaki, the broader category of Japanese foods cooked on skewers.