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布団(futon): traditional Japanese futon bedding, with the 敷布団(shiki-buton) on the bottom, and the 掛け布団(kake-buton) on top.
Etymology
Borrowed from written Chinese, possibly early Mandarin 蒲團／蒲团 (pútuán), likely as part of the importation of Zen Buddhism, for which practice these were originally used. First cited in Japanese to a text from the early-mid 1200s with the "meditation cushion" sense.[1]
Originally referred literally to a 蒲 (pú, “bulrush, cattail”) 團／团 (tuán, “ball”), from the way these were round cushions made from woven bulrush leaves.[1][2]
After the term was borrowed, the usage and construction of these cushions changed and the connection with bulrushes was weakened, leading to the simpler character 布(fu, “cloth”) being used as a replacement for 蒲(fu, “bulrush, cattail”).
(most common sense in modern usage) traditional Japanese-style bedding, more specifically the 敷布団(shiki-buton, “mattress”, literally “spreading / laying-down futon”) or 掛け布団(kake-buton, “duvet or quilt”, literally “covering futon”), or a set of both, spread directly on a tatami floor
