When looking at the images on this page, you may think there is a mistake with the heading "pillows", but illustrated below are hard Chinese and Japanese pillows, the complete opposite of what we expect in a pillow today.
This style of pillow was in use from about the 6th century to the end of the 19th century, although the pillows on this page are from the later period. They were designed to keep the neck and head in vertical alignment with the spine, as with present day pillows, but without the head comfort of the soft pillows we use today.
The most common shape was a brick with an inverted top, but other whimsical shapes included a recumbent child lying on his stomachs, where the curved back was the head rest, cats crouching also using the back as the head rest, and mythical animals.
Most pillows are porcelain; less more...
69 items found:
These items have been sold, and the description, image and price are for reference purposes only.