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Futon bedding
***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Various, see below
***** Category: Humanity
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Explanation
Futon is a typical Japanese way of bedding for the night.
Nowadays, the stuffed mattress (shikibuton) and the blanket (kakebuton) are together called a "futon".

The futon set can easily be stored away in a special oshiire alcove and the room used as a living room.
The people during the Edo period, especially the poor, did not use bed covers as we have them nowadays. They only had a stuffed matress shikubuton 敷き布団 or some kind of woven mats to lie down on. Sometimes the bare planks of wooden floor would have to do, maybe covered with some straw.
And they wore warm night clothes (yogi) to keep the cold out.
Poor people, especially in the colder northern regions, slept near the fire and used anything to keep them warm, even dried seaweed was put into quilts (documented from Akita in 1789, for example). Hemp and straw and hulls were also used for quilts.
Poor people even slept in straw bags, one couple in one bag.
A poor family used to sleep close toghether to use the body heat for warmth.
. . mugura 葎 (むぐら) cleavers
Since kana mugura カナムグラ(鉄葎) Humulus japonicus is of the hemp family, it might well have been used for stuffing a quilt of the poor.
. Bedtime quilt (yogi) as KIGO
The shikibuton in the towns ranged from lavish ones to poor ones, called like a thin rice cracker
senbei futon 煎餅布団 "rice cracker matress"
and had only little cotton stuffing.
In Edo, futon usually ment the matress, whereas in Osaka (Kamigata)they began to use kakebuton quilted blanket covers a lot earlier.
There is a famous haiku of a disciple of Basho
Hattori Ransestu 服部嵐雪, who as a man from Edo was surprised to find the people in Higashiyama, Kyoto using a blanket.
ふとん着てねたる姿や東山
futon kite netaru sugata ya Higashiyama
wearing a futon
while he sleeps ...
Higashiyama
. Higashiyama, District in Kyoto
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kigo for all summer
natsubuton 夏蒲団 (なつぶとん) summer futon
natsubusuma 夏衾(なつぶすま)
asabuton 麻布団(あさぶとん)hemp futon
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
natsugake 夏掛(なつがけ)summer cover (blanket)
samaaketto サマーケット summer towel ket blanket
taorukake タオル掛(たおるがけ) towel cover blanket
Thin blankets like a towel, that easily soak off the sweat from the sleeper.
The summer is quite hot and humid in Japan and difficult to sleep, even now with air conditioning.
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kigo for all winter
warm bedding, futon 布団、蒲団 quilted bedding
kakebuton 掛布団(かけぶとん)futon blanket, coverlet, top quilt
shikibuton 敷蒲団(しきぶとん)futon matress, underquilt
hanebuton 羽蒲団(はねぶとん)futon with down feathers
futon hosu 蒲団干す(ふとんほす)
hanging the futon to dry, quilt airing
hoshibuton 干蒲団 (ほしぶとん) matress-drying,, matress airing, quilt-airing
shoulder cover, katabuton 肩蒲団
back cover, senabuton 背蒲団
hip cover, koshibuton 腰蒲団
bed cover with cotton layers, quilt, wataire 綿入
. futon 布団、蒲団 quilted bedding
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Worldwide use
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Things found on the way

Daruma zabuton だるま座布団
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Reference : History of Futon
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HAIKU
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Related words
sitting cushions (zabuton 座布団)
are used to sit on in the Japanese style, kneeling in seiza 正座.
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kigo for all summer
natsu zabuton 夏座蒲団 (なつざぶとん)
summer seating cushion
square Japanese floor cushion used for sitting
asa zabuton 麻座布団(あさざぶとん)zabuton with hemp cover
izabuton 藺座布団(いざぶとん) zabuton with igusa woven straw cover

kawabuton 革蒲団 (かわぶとん)
seating cushion from leather
A rather luxury item for rich homes and expensive restaurants. It feels cool to sit on a leather cushion in summer. Even if the edges are rubbed off from long use, they are still cherished.

enza 円座 (えんざ ) round sitting cushion
Often uses outside on the veranda or for the tea ceremony.
It is used to sit on, not to kneel in Japanses seiza style.
shikigami 敷紙 ( しきがみ ) paper cushion
They are made from strong Japanese washi paper and soaked in kakishibu extract to make them stronger and resistant to lice. They can be used on tatami to keep the mats clean and hygienic.
Nowadays often vinyl is used instead.
yuton 油団 (ゆとん) "oil cushion"
They are made from strong Japanese washi paper and soaked in oil or covered with laquer. They feel very cool to the touch in summer.
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. makura 枕(まくら)
pillow for sleeping
Kopfkissen
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