JAPAN FORUM

[Keiichi Morisato]

A discussion has recently came up on my site regarding why the Japanese sleep on futons or tatami and why they sleep on the floor. While this has always been an interest of mine I wonder if anyone could enlighten me as to how this custom came about and the history behind it.

[Craig Fryer]

If you live in a very small house, then if you sleep on the tatami in the morning you can pack up the bedding and use the floor space for living area.

A futon is just a different kind of bed.
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Craig Fryer

Editor - Japanese Lifestyle www.japaneselifestyle.com.au

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[dtownley]

that's right. Though quite a number of modern family sized houses will have beds (often for the kids). Even in some apartments too, they have beds. I've seen some student apartments which have beds, yet with floor space the equivalent size of 3 beds next to each other.

Considering this, most homes have very small rooms. Japan is a country where they build up, not out, so floor space could almost be considered a luxury. If you think about it, why have space taken up during the day, when you only use it at night?
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[pl]

I think that's not historical reason.

[senmu]

Traditinally, Japanese housing dosen't have consept of "separate".

For example, western housing needs many rooms such as living room,bed room,kitchen,gest room, bra bra bra...
But, in Japan, nomal classes Japanese houses did not have such kind of conseption.

We could use a room for various rooms.
Futon is very comfortable tool, because it can be stored after we wake up.
But beds are hard to remove once they are put.

Of couse, even old time, Japanese enrich classes, like aristocrats have beds.

Otherwise, level of common people, they still uesd these comfortable housing system until modern period.

Is it your answer??

[Jake]

[Lisa]

I have no problem understanding what Senmu means in his posting so perhaps your problem Jake is not about grammar but of understanding Japan... But Senmu and all, Japan is no different from the rest of the world when talking about sleeping in beds or not, using furniture or not. In the majority of all historic societies sleeping was/is done on the floor and furniture was/is used sparsely. Historically, among the wealthy classes in Japanese and in most other countries around the world furniture beds for example were more common. In Europe and US pre 19th century sleeping on the floor was not uncommon (where did the native Americans sleep?). The same goes for using one or only a few rooms for many different things, eating, working, receptions, festivities. This was the case in the European castles as well as in farmsteads and city dwellings. And talking about the rest of the world f.ex. the African continent and the rest of Asia, sleeping on the floor is not uncommon nor having only few rooms serving many purposes. Among the higher classes in Japan the division of the house into several rooms containing different purposes started around 15th century (in abbots temples and among aristocracy and warrior residences) The old Japanese farmhouse had just one room (like in US and Europe) but in the 19th century a plan with 6 rooms were seen but also with only 2 or 3 rooms. In the Japanese city dwellings one room was common in 16th century but after this the merchant wealth grew tremendously and more rooms with dividing functions became common. What is seen today in Japan is just a stage in development that also are seen in other part of the world. The tatami was not common for ALL until Meiji period (but still only in the important rooms for the people with less means) and futon is a product of the middle 18th century if I do not remember wrongly.

I hope my text is understandable even though I also need to study more...

Lisa

[U]

In china, we also have bed. It is a little different from Japanese one.

I am not sure but concept of " Futon" may Japanese origin?

Can anyone answer it?