– Tell me about the 17th Century (1600) Japanese pillows I saw in the movie Shogun that look like a block of wood with fabric around them. Is that what they are? How could they be comfortable?

Question

– Tell me about the 17th Century (1600) Japanese pillows I saw in the movie Shogun that look like a block of wood with fabric around them. Is that what they are? How could they be comfortable?

In: 11

Answer 1

This is about 20 minutes of research condensed:

Soft pillows need to be replaced every 2-4 years, even nowadays, and in less sanitary times would be a nightmare to keep clean. Mold, insects, sweat and dirt discoloration, you name it.

Most Asian and African cultures historically used hard pillows made of wood or stone to support the neck. It was understood how to make a soft pillow but they weren’t very popular for practical reasons. The ancient Chinese believed they were bad for your health.

Soft pillows became popular with wealthy Greeks and Romans in Europe, but died off during the middle ages due to being expensive to upkeep and seen as emasculating. They very slowly came back around the late medieval, but it wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution that your average Joe in Europe would be consistently able to afford a soft pillow in his bed.