A resident of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Adam Oltman Porcher attends Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, NJ, where he is pursuing a degree in computer science. With a passion for learning languages, Adam Porcher is studying Japanese and enjoys delving into the island nation’s culture and history. One of the indispensable elements of traditional Japanese interiors, the zabuton is a square cushion made for sitting on tatami straw floors. Shoes are not typically allowed indoors in Japan, and much of daily life occurs at floor level. The zabuton were initially reserved for use in settings such as the imperial court and Buddhist monasteries. They feature a gently rounded top and contain layered cotton padding, which makes them ideal for retaining body heat. Beyond home settings, zabuton are used by monks during extended sessions of meditation. They are also traditional to sumo culture, in which spectators at the lower level sit on the cushions, which makes the lengthy wrestling bouts more comfortable. The cushions are sometimes thrown at sumo competitors when they fail to meet expectations. This tradition has its roots in a 19th century custom of bombarding the sumo ring with personal items to congratulate the winner. This practice was banned when the Ryogoku Kokugikan arena was established in 1909, and throwing cushions became a substitute. In contemporary matches, throwing zabuton is usually reserved for the last match, which features the highest-ranked Yokozuna. If the champion loses to a lower-ranked wrestler, a barrage of cushions will invariably be thrown into the ring.

1. Adam Porcher

2. Introduction
A resident of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Adam Oltman Porcher attends Mercer County
Community College in West Windsor, NJ, where he is pursuing a degree in computer science.
With a passion for learning languages, Adam Porcher is studying Japanese and enjoys delving
into the island nation’s culture and history.
One of the indispensable elements of traditional Japanese interiors, the zabuton is a square
cushion made for sitting on tatami straw floors. Shoes are not typically allowed indoors in
Japan, and much of daily life occurs at floor level. The zabuton were initially reserved for use in
settings such as the imperial court and Buddhist monasteries. They feature a gently rounded
top and contain layered cotton padding, which makes them ideal for retaining body heat.

3. Beyond home settings, zabuton are used by monks during extended sessions of
meditation. They are also traditional to sumo culture, in which spectators at the lower
level sit on the cushions, which makes the lengthy wrestling bouts more comfortable. The
cushions are sometimes thrown at sumo competitors when they fail to meet expectations.
This tradition has its roots in a 19th century custom of bombarding the sumo ring with
personal items to congratulate the winner. This practice was banned when the Ryogoku
Kokugikan arena was established in 1909, and throwing cushions became a substitute. In
contemporary matches, throwing zabuton is usually reserved for the last match, which
features the highest-ranked Yokozuna. If the champion loses to a lower-ranked wrestler, a
barrage of cushions will invariably be thrown into the ring.