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Zabuton
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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>Zabuton are typically packed with cotton for cushioning, with an outer cover made of fabric, usually also cotton. The outer cover is sometimes alternatively made of a variety of other materials such as silk, linen, leather, or <i><a href="/facts/Washi/JLlMGLSo">washi</a></i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> Zabuton were commonly made using <a href="/facts/Meisen_(textile)/PH0oV7Mm">meisen</a> until the 1960s when meisen production ceased.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> </p><p>The zabuton originates from an earlier type of cushion called a <i>shitone</i> (Japanese: 褥), used in early Japan by the aristocratic class.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> A <i>shitone</i> is roughly the same size and shape as a zabuton, but consists of layers of straw matting covered with cloth as opposed to the cotton-filled zabuton.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a>: 153 One traditional method of making a <i>zabuton</i> involves layered cotton stuffing laid on top of a square piece of fabric, folded in half with two sides stitched closed. The bundle is then rolled and then turned inside out so that the stuffing is inside the fabric, rather than stuffing the fabric into an opening in the cloth.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> </p><p>Prior to the introduction of zabuton, <i>enza</i> (Japanese: 円座, lit. 'round seats') were commonly used as cushioning on wooden floors. These were circular, plaited grass cushions that were gradually replaced in everyday usage by the <i>shitone</i> and zabuton during the <a href="/facts/Edo_period/BWxv9h57">Edo period</a> (1600–1868)<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a> after cotton was introduced to Japan.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="cultural-usage">Cultural usage</h2> <p><a href="/facts/Culture_of_Japan/CrfFTRUp">Japanese culture</a> has societal norms and etiquette around zabuton, including the proper way to accept a zabuton and the correct way to sit or rise from one,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a> and how to bow when seated on one.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22"><sup>22</sup></a> The placement of a person's zabuton in a room can indicate that person's position in a <a href="/facts/Social_stratification/AdXjXrKt">social hierarchy</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23"><sup>23</sup></a> or a position of honor.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24"><sup>24</sup></a> </p><p>In <a href="/facts/Zen/Fvgltk1w">Zen</a> meditation, practitioners sit on a <i><a href="/facts/Zafu/Y3sSATSR">zafu</a></i>, which is typically placed on top of a zabuton. The zabuton serves to cushion the knees and ankles while the <i>zafu</i> supports and cushions the rest of the body.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25"><sup>25</sup></a> This combination of zabuton and <i>zafu</i> is used to support the body during long periods of meditation,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26"><sup>26</sup></a> especially for those who are unaccustomed to being in the <i>seiza</i> position for long periods of time.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:27" href="#fn:27"><sup>27</sup></a> </p><p>In <a href="/facts/Sumo/IV1qRw4s">sumo</a>, members of the audience throw zabuton toward the ring after a <i><a href="/facts/Yokozuna_(sumo)/swf2hbzq">yokozuna</a></i> is defeated by a lower-ranked wrestler, as a way of <a href="/facts/Heckler/cMla7AWh">heckling</a> the defeated wrestler<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:28" href="#fn:28"><sup>28</sup></a> in a practice called <i>Zabuton-wo-nageru</i> (Japanese: 座布団を投げる, lit. 'throwing zabuton cushions').<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:29" href="#fn:29"><sup>29</sup></a>: 44 Throwing zabuton in this fashion has risks, including the potential for causing personal injury and damage to property.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:30" href="#fn:30"><sup>30</sup></a> </p><p>In <i><a href="/facts/Yose/5HoFQjg8">yose</a></i>, notably on the long-running television show <i><a href="/facts/Sh%25C5%258Dten/avUYEXkB">Shōten</a></i>, comedians receive zabuton as a form of scoring, which are also taken away as punishment for bad jokes. The first comedian on <i>Shōten</i> to receive ten zabuton is declared the winner.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:31" href="#fn:31"><sup>31</sup></a> Zabuton are used in <i><a href="/facts/Rakugo/77268HMg">rakugo</a></i> by both the performer and the audience.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:32" href="#fn:32"><sup>32</sup></a> Before adopting Western-style chairs in the 1930s, Japanese movie theatres used zabuton for patron seating.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:33" href="#fn:33"><sup>33</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <p> Media related to Zabuton at Wikimedia Commons </p> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Dōgen (1996). Leighton, Taigen Daniel (ed.). Dogen's pure standards for the Zen community: a translation of the Eihei shingi. Translated by Leighton, Taigen Daniel; Okumura, Shohaku. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. p. 233. ISBN 0-585-04623-9. OCLC 42854986. Archived from the original on 2023-01-10. Retrieved 2023-01-10. <a href="0-585-04623-9" target="_blank">0-585-04623-9</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Smith, Richard Alan (January 1981). "Comfort, room use and economy of means in the Japanese house". Building and Environment. 16 (3): 167–175. Bibcode:1981BuEnv..16..167S. doi:10.1016/0360-1323(81)90010-X. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Evans, Toshie M. (1997). A dictionary of Japanese loanwords. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. p. 223. ISBN 978-0-313-37004-5. OCLC 528863578. Archived from the original on 2023-01-10. Retrieved 2023-01-10. <a href="978-0-313-37004-5" target="_blank">978-0-313-37004-5</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Dōgen (1996). Leighton, Taigen Daniel (ed.). Dogen's pure standards for the Zen community: a translation of the Eihei shingi. Translated by Leighton, Taigen Daniel; Okumura, Shohaku. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. p. 233. ISBN 0-585-04623-9. OCLC 42854986. Archived from the original on 2023-01-10. Retrieved 2023-01-10. <a href="0-585-04623-9" target="_blank">0-585-04623-9</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Oshima, Kimie (June 2011). "Japanese Cultural Expressions Seen in English Rakugo Scripts". Asian Englishes. 14 (1): 46–65. doi:10.1080/13488678.2011.10801293. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>McNeill, Warrick (July 2017). "Adapting to floor sitting and kneeling". Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. 21 (3): 731–735. doi:10.1016/j.jbmt.2017.06.016. PMID 28750992. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Doi_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Buksbazen, John Daishin (2002). Zen meditation in plain English (1st ed.). Boston: Wisdom. p. 31. ISBN 0-86171-316-8. OCLC 48588920. Archived from the original on 2023-01-10. Retrieved 2023-01-10. <a href="0-86171-316-8" target="_blank">0-86171-316-8</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Smith, Richard Alan (January 1981). "Comfort, room use and economy of means in the Japanese house". Building and Environment. 16 (3): 167–175. Bibcode:1981BuEnv..16..167S. doi:10.1016/0360-1323(81)90010-X. <a href="/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/Bibcode_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Irwin, Ronald R. (2002). Human Development and the Spiritual Life: How Consciousness Grows Toward Transformation. 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Retrieved December 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115180939/making-zabuton/" target="_blank">https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115180939/making-zabuton/</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Mason, Nancy (June 22, 1985). "Zabutons by Mrs. Reeb Bring Orient to Atlanta". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 15. Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. <a href="https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115180657/zabuton-atlanta/" target="_blank">https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115180657/zabuton-atlanta/</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Koizumi, Kazuko; 小泉, 和子 (1986). Traditional Japanese furniture (1st ed.). Tokyo: Kodansha International. p. 99. ISBN 0-87011-722-X. 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