Sunday, February 21, 2010

Traditional Futon Beds (Pt 3/3)

By: Carl Walker

The Western Transformation:

The futon become popular in the United until after World War II. In the 1960s, handmade cotton pads were used by hippies, students and health enthusiasts as alternatives for conventional beds. The first significant transformation, about a decade later, was the introduction of convertible frames which turned the futon into a bed-cum-couch furniture.

By the 1980s, the popularity of the futon had reached its peak in the United States and other western countries, and people started buying it in large quantities. The transformation continued with the introduction of components such as innersprings, pocket springs, coil, foam and polyester mattresses, as well as electric frames with massagers. The futon had become considerably westernized towards the end of the decade that it became almost hard to recognize a Western-style futon as a futon.

The popularity of the futon also spread to the country of its origin, and top Japanese futon manufacturer, Maruhachi Mawata, started manufacturing futons resembling the western style in 1997. Older generation of Japanese still very much use the traditional futon but younger people prefer the comfort, style and added features of the western style. Incidentally by the year 2001, there was a 60 percent increase in the use of western style futons and beds in Japan.

Read more: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Traditional-Futon-Beds/1911#ixzz0etg0i0Ah
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1 comment:

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