Futon

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This article is about the Japanese mattress. For research bias, see FUTON bias. For the band, see Futon (band).

Japanese-style futons laid out for sleeping

A western-style futon couch

A futon is traditional Japanese bedding consisting of padded mattresses and quilts pliable enough to be folded and stored away during the day, allowing the room to serve for purposes other than as a bedroom. The bedding set referred to as futon in Japan fundamentally consists of a shikibuton (敷き布団 bottom mattress) and a kakebuton (掛け布団 thick quilted bedcover).^[1] The word futon is an English loanword derived from Japanese futon (布団 or 蒲団) [ɸɯ̥tɔɴ] ( listen). It is Sino-Japanese, originally meaning 'round cushions filled with cattail flower spikes'; it is derived from Chinese fu or pu (蒲 cattail) + ton or tuan (団 round).^[2]

A futon is a flat mattress with a fabric exterior stuffed with cotton, wool, or synthetic batting that makes up a Japanese bed. Futons are sold in Japan at speciality stores called futon'ya as well as at department stores. They are often sold in sets that include the futon mattress (shikibuton), a comforter (kakebuton) or blanket (毛布 mōfu), a summer blanket resembling a large towel (タオルケット taoruketto), and a pillow (枕 makura) generally filled with beans, buckwheat chaff, or plastic beads.^{[citation needed]} Futons are designed to be placed on tatami flooring, and are traditionally folded away and stored in a closet during the day to allow the tatami to breathe and to allow for flexibility in the use of the room. Futons must be aired in sunlight regularly, especially if not put away during the day. In addition, many Japanese beat their futons regularly to prevent the padding from matting. They use a futon tataki (布団叩き), a special instrument, traditionally made from bamboo, resembling a Western carpet beater.

Futon are available in single, semi-double, and double sizes.

The Western futon is based on the Japanese original, with several major differences. It is almost always placed on a configurable wood or metal frame for dual use as a bed and a chair or couch. Typically, the frame folds in the middle, allowing the futon to be used as a couch, and flattens for use as a bed. It is usually filled with foam as well as batting, often in several layers, and is often much thicker and larger than Japanese futons, resembling a traditional mattress in size. Western-style futons are an alternative to a bed or other furniture, and are often sold in sets that include the mattress and frame. Futons normally feature a removable and replaceable cover in a variety of colours to match evolving modern decorating tastes. Western Futon mattress fillings vary from the economical offcut pieces of foam, to the higher quality eco-friendly natural fillings of felt and wool.

In Japanese, a zabuton (za, sitting + futon) is a square, thin cushion for sitting on instead of chair when one sits at a small, 30 cm high table in a tatami room.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Futons.

↑ Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan, entry for "bedding".
↑ Webster’s New World College Dictionary (Macmillan, 1997: ISBN 0-02-861674-X).

v t e Bedding

Bed types	Bassinet Box-bed Bunk bed Cage bed Camp bed Canopy bed Couch Couch bed Four poster bed Futon Hammock Hospital bed Infant bed Lit a la turque Kang bed-stove Manjaa Murphy bed Petate Platform bed Sleigh bed Sofa bed Toddler bed Trundle bed Waterbed Daybed

Bed components	Air mattress Bed base Bed frame Bed skirt Bed warmer Box-spring Bunkie board Cot side Featherbed Headboard Mattress Mattress pad Mattress protector Memory foam Nightstand Orthopedic mattress Sheet

Blankets	Afghan Comforter Duvet Electric blanket Hudson's Bay point blanket Patchwork quilt Photo blanket Pierzyna Quilt Security blanket Silk comforter

Pillows	Acupressure pillow Bamboo wife Bolster Contour leg pillow Cushion Dakimakura Eye pillow Orthopedic pillow Phonetic pillow Sex pillow Speaker pillow Throw pillow

v t e Elements of Japanese architecture

Styles	Buddhist Buke Daibutsuyō Gassho Giyōfū Hachiman Hirairi Hiyoshi (also called Hie) Irimoya Ishi-no-ma Kasuga Kibitsu Nagare Ōbaku Zen Setchūyō Shinden Shinmei Shinto Shoin Sukiya Sumiyoshi Taisha Wayō Zenshūyō	A model of Himeji Castle

Building types	Butsuden Castle Chashitsu Dō Haiden Heiden Hokora Hōkyōintō Kura Kyōzō Machiya Main Hall Minka Setsumatsusha Shōrō Tahōtō Tō Yagura

Roof styles	Hidden roof Irimoya Karahafu

Structural	Burdock piling Chigi Disordered piling Engawa Fusuma Hisashi Irimoya-zukuri Irori Jinmaku Katōmado Katsuogi Kuruwa Mokoshi Moya Nakazonae Namako wall Nightingale floor Onigawara Ranma Shōji (see also washi) Sōrin Tamagaki Tatami Tokonoma Tokyō Tsumairi Shibi

Gates and approaches	Genkan Kairō Karamon Mon Nijūmon Niōmon Rōmon Sandō Sanmon Sōmon Torii (Mihashira)

Rooms	Chashitsu Daidokoro Mizuya Shoin Toilets Washitsu

Furnishings	Butsudan Byōbu Chabudai Emakimono Furo Futon Getabako Kaidan dansu Kamado Kamidana Kichō Kotatsu Misu Noren Sudare Tamaya Tansu Zabuton Zafu

Outdoor objects	Chōzuya/Temizuya Ishigantō Komainu Tōrō

Measurements	Ken Koku Ri Shaku Sun

Groups	Architectural Institute of Japan Japan Institute of Architects Metabolist Movement

See also	Groups of Traditional Buildings Iki Japanese garden (zen) National Treasures (castles residences shrines temples) Ryokan Sentō Wabi-sabi Yabo

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Futon

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References