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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