A
zabuton (座布団) is a Japanese cushion for sitting. The
kanjiare the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet . The Japanese term kanji literally means "Han characters".- History :Chinese characters first came to Japan on...
characters 座布団 literally translated are "seat-cloth-sphere". The zabuton is the everyday cushion found in homes and used for eating, watching television, reading at the
kotatsuA is a low, wooden table frame covered by a futon, or heavy blanket, upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source, often built into the table itself...
, and other daily activities. A typical square zabuton measures 50–70 cm (20–30 inches) on a side and is several centimetres thick when new.
Zabuton are found throughout Japan, and enter many aspects of the culture.
- In Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, translated from the Chinese word Chán. This word is in turn derived from the Sanskrit dhyāna, which means "meditation" ....
meditation, practitioners sit on zafuA zafu is a round cushion, about 35 cm in diameter, and often about 20 cm high, when fluffed. Although in U.S. English, zafu is often translated as "sewn seat", that is not the meaning of the Japanese kanji. "Za" means "seat", and "fu" means cattail. As a word, "zafu" means a seat made out of...
which is typically placed on top of a zabuton.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Zabuton' Start a new discussion about 'Zabuton' Answer questions from other users |
A
zabuton (座布団) is a Japanese cushion for sitting. The
kanjiare the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet . The Japanese term kanji literally means "Han characters".- History :Chinese characters first came to Japan on...
characters 座布団 literally translated are "seat-cloth-sphere". The zabuton is the everyday cushion found in homes and used for eating, watching television, reading at the
kotatsuA is a low, wooden table frame covered by a futon, or heavy blanket, upon which a table top sits. Underneath is a heat source, often built into the table itself...
, and other daily activities. A typical square zabuton measures 50–70 cm (20–30 inches) on a side and is several centimetres thick when new.
Zabuton are found throughout Japan, and enter many aspects of the culture.
- In Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, translated from the Chinese word Chán. This word is in turn derived from the Sanskrit dhyāna, which means "meditation" ....
meditation, practitioners sit on zafuA zafu is a round cushion, about 35 cm in diameter, and often about 20 cm high, when fluffed. Although in U.S. English, zafu is often translated as "sewn seat", that is not the meaning of the Japanese kanji. "Za" means "seat", and "fu" means cattail. As a word, "zafu" means a seat made out of...
which is typically placed on top of a zabuton. The zabuton cushions the knees and ankle.
- In sumo
is a competitive contact sport where a wrestler attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or to touch the ground with anything other than the soles of the feet. The sport originated in Japan, the only country where it is practiced professionally...
, members of the audience throw zabuton toward the ring after an upset.
- In rakugo
Rakugo is a Japanese verbal entertainment. The lone storyteller sits on the stage, called the Kōza . Using only a paper fan and a small cloth as props, and without standing up from the seiza sitting position, the rakugo artist depicts a long and complicated comical story...
, performers are not allowed to rise from their zabuton for the duration of their skit.
- In yose, notably on the long-running television show Shōten
Shōten is a Japanese TV comedy program, continuously broadcast on Sunday evenings on Nippon TV since 15 May 1966, the second-longest running TV show in Japan....
, comedians receive zabuton as a form of scoring.
- In jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama", and the period is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier — Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period — and the early...
, according to a stereotype, the boss prisoner in a jail cell receives all the zabuton from his or her cell mates.