The futon is the traditional form of bedding in Japan and consists of a cotton mattress and cover, both stuffed with raw cotton. The cover is characteristically patterned with auspicious motifs, the pine trees, cranes and tortoises here being popular symbols of good luck and longevity. These alternate with a bold geometric pattern of paired squares. The design was created with a technique knows as ‘kasuri’, which involves the binding of certain sections of yarn prior to dyeing. When the skein is dipped in the dye bath the colour does not penetrate the bound areas, creating a yarn that is partly white and partly coloured. A pattern then emerges as the cloth is woven.