Dakimakura

A ''dakimakura'' (; from ''daki'' "embrace" and ''makura'' "pillow") is a type of large pillow from Japan. The word is often translated to English as body pillow or waifu pillow. In Japan, ''dakimakura'' are similar to Western orthopedic body pillows, and are commonly used by Japanese youth as "comfort objects".

History

During the late '90s and early 2000s, ''dakimakura'' began to intertwine with otaku culture, leading to the production of pillow covers featuring printed images of ''bishōjo'' and ''bishōnen'' posed lying down from various anime or ''bishōjo'' games. Many of these early otaku ''dakimakura'' covers were released through Cospa, a character goods and apparel store which as of 2018 continues to release official ''dakimakura'' covers.

Although ''dakimakura'' are sometimes called "Dutch wife", the original definition of this phrase is closer to the '' chikufujin'', or "bamboo wife".

The year 2015 saw some of the first talking body pillows with ''Ita-Supo'' and its mascot, Rina Makuraba. It was invented by former Kyushu Institute of Technology researcher, Koichi Uchimura.

Sizes

''Dakimakura'' are available in two main sizes, in length with a width ( circumference).

Prior to the mid-2000s, ''dakimakura'' were available in one size; . Since the late 2000s, ''dakimakura'' became available and increasingly popular due to shipping cost savings from being under the airmail weight limit.

Due to the increase in popularity, new sizes have been created to adapt to all heights and ages, and although there are other sizes available, the 5 most popular sizes are: 180x60, 170x60, 160x60, 150x50 and 140x40 cm.

Love pillows

Love pillows are a subset of ''dakimakura'' usually portraying life-size pictures of characters in suggestive poses. They may portray anime characters, furry characters, or pornographic film actors.

See also

*Co-sleeping
*Sex doll
*Bolster
*Bamboo wife

References

External links

*

{{Pillows

Japanese inventions
Otaku
Pillows