Японская подушка Дзабутон: традиции и применение

Japanese cushion

A zabuton (kanji: , ZAH boo tawn) is a cushion for sitting that is commonly used in traditional Japanese settings. Zabuton is a Japanese loanword that is also sometimes used in Western culture to describe the zaniku, a flat mat that a zafu is placed on. and may also be used when sitting on a chair. Zabuton are used during meditation such as zazen. and usually an inch or two thick, but can vary in thickness. and tassels on the four corners and at the center of the zabuton, and often with a removable outer cover that can be washed separately.

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 washi. The zabuton originates from an earlier type of cushion called a shitone (褥), used in early Japan by the aristocratic class. A shitone 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. after cotton was introduced to Japan.

Japanese culture 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, and how to bow when seated on one. The placement of a person's zabuton in a room can indicate that person's position in a social hierarchy or a position of honor. In Zen meditation, practitioners sit on a zafu, which is typically placed on top of a zabuton. The zabuton serves to cushion the knees and ankles while the zafu supports and cushions the rest of the body. especially for those who are unaccustomed to being in the seiza position for long periods of time. In sumo, members of the audience throw zabuton toward the ring after a yokozuna is defeated by a lower ranked wrestler, as a way of heckling the defeated wrestler in a practice called Zabuton wo nageru (座布団を投げる). In yose, notably on the long running television show Shōten, comedians receive zabuton as a form of scoring, which are also taken away as punishment for bad jokes. The first comedian on Shōten to receive ten zabuton is declared the winner. Zabuton are used in rakugo by both the performer and the audience. Before adopting Western style chairs in the 1930s, Japanese movie theatres used zabuton for patron seating.