What is a futon?

The futon is what Japan has traditionally used to sleep on for centuries, what they consider their bed. They are very low mattresses made of cotton and placed directly on the tatami, which acts as a bed base. They are designed to be light and portable so they can be stored during the day.

The parts of a traditional futon

Shikibuton

It is the equivalent of our mattress, normally one or two are placed directly on the floor.

Shiki comes from the word hiku which means to lie down which added to futon (now pronounced as buton) form the word shikibuton.

It is usually made up of one or two mats; They are usually about 5 centimeters thick. Traditionally they were made of cotton or ball wool, which provided firm support, sometimes too much so; Nowadays, synthetic materials have been incorporated.

Kakebuton

This is a thick quilt, also made entirely of cotton and sometimes replaced by a mofu, which is a thinner blanket for the warmer months.

Makura

It is what is known in the West like pillow. It is traditionally filled with buckwheat straw or beans, although small plastic balls are currently used to fill them.

Current uses of the futon

In Japan

More and more Japanese sleep on conventional beds with mattresses like Western ones, but futons are still very useful as guest beds, thanks to the ease of being rolled up and stored taking up little space. People who live in small apartments also find this way of sleeping comfortable, since it allows them to leave that space free during the day.

In the West

Thanks to the taste for Japanese aesthetics, the futon has been adapted to Western needs and preferences. Slightly raised structures are used instead of tatami, which is too low in almost all cases. To these structures, slatted bases are added that guarantee the ventilation of the futon.

The futons used in the West are thicker than the traditional ones, between 10 and 15 centimeters and incorporate synthetic materials such as natural latex or viscoelastic foam, obtaining a softer, non-deformable support and with a longer useful life.

Ergonomically, the traditional futon can be uncomfortable for people with sleep ailments. back, especially if you are going to spend the entire night in one of them. For this reason, physiotherapist associations around the world consider that medium-firm Western mattresses are those that, as a general rule, best adapt to the rest needs of the majority of sleepers. If you would like to take a look at our range of medium firm mattresses, we recommend you click here.