Bamboo wife

The Korean version of the bamboo wife

A bamboo wife (Chinese: 竹夫人; pinyin: zhúfūrén; Cantonese Yale: jūkfūyàhn; Vietnamese: trúc phu nhân; Template:Lang-ko; Template:Lang-ja), also known as a Dutch wife, in Tagalog as kawil (literally, fish hook or chain); in Burmese as ဖက်လုံး (hpaat lone) and in Indonesian as guling, is a hollow bamboo bolster roughly the size of the human body.

Bamboo wives are typically hand-woven from thinly cut bamboo cane.

Etymology

English

The origin of the English term "Dutch wife" is thought, via folk etymology, to be from the (former) Dutch colony of Indonesia, where Dutch traders would spend long periods away from their wives. A more likely explanation is the link with Dutch courage, Dutch auction or to go Dutch. Here the use of the word Dutch was something dodgy or not regular. This then carried over to America and other colonies. Expressions like this are still applied in other circumstances such as in the phrase "you can trust me or I am a Dutchman".

Mandarin Chinese

Besides the term "Bamboo wife" (竹夫人, zhúfūrén) these pillows are known in Mandarin Chinese under a variety of names, namely Zhú jiā xī (竹夹膝), zhú jī (竹姬), qīng nú (青奴), zhú nú (竹奴), and zhú fēi (竹妃).

Overview

Shapes and sizes

Bamboo wives come in a variety of sizes, to accommodate the needs of different sleepers based on their own body sizes. For example, a child would use a smaller bamboo wife than an adult.

Bamboo wives are typically shaped similar to the orthopedic body pillows and their design allows airflow to reach more parts of the body than fabric pillows. Some bamboo wives have curves as opposed to only a long cylindrical shape. These curvy bamboo wives inspire an intuitive response to the sleeper to hold on to them in ways that better help with the airflow.

Usage

In the summer heat, the open bamboo structure is cooler to the touch than fabric pillows or sheets. The Dutch wife is embraced by the user, as one would a sleeping companion—this position exposes the maximum amount of the body to cooling breezes. This and other devices, such as pillows of a similar shape, may also alleviate lower back pain when placed between the legs during sleep periods.

Adoption and current usage

Bamboo wives and their variants in other countries have their origin and use in East Asia and Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, which are regions with hot and humid summers.During periods when the temperature and humidity rise, things like blankets become damp and the sleeper can experience this as suffocating. Furthermore, sleepers also become less inclined to hold onto another hot sweaty person during hot temperatures. These factors all lead to the adoption of bamboo wives.

They are now less popular to the point of extinction, possibly due to the prevalence of air conditioning, especially in the urban areas and among people who can afford it. Another reason for the decline in usage of bamboo wives is the common availability of bamboo wives made using bad craftsmanship, these badly made bamboo wives can result in wood splinters being lodged into the skin of its user. As a replacement for Dutch wives made from bamboo, they can also be made of cotton or other synthetic fibers. Dutch wives made of cotton or other synthetic fiber are still widely used in Indonesia.

The only region in which bamboo wives remain popular as of 2019 is Korea, but even there indoor cooling and bolsters made from synthetic materials have become more popular.

Availability

As of 2019 bamboo wives aren't typically sold at corner stores, tourist shops, or night markets in places like Japan and Korea, and even much less so in the Philippines, they were mostly found in online shops that typically weren't in English. Often these online shops only serve domestic customers and don't ship internationally with rare exceptions selling bamboo wives for high prices to international customers.

Japan

In Japan the Dakimakura are sometimes euphemistically referred to as "chikufujin" (Bamboo wives). This is because while the bamboo wife is no longer being used or even present in most East Asian and Southeast Asian homes at present, the idea of a bolster for hugging while you sleep has endured and the Dakimakura can be viewed as a sort of "spiritual successor" to it in Japan.

Korea

The first mention of the jukbuin in Korea date back to the 13th century during the late Goryeo period. As of 2019 bamboo wives primarily persist in Korea as the jukbuin is deeply enshrined in Korean culture. Jukbuin were typically held when sleeping on the wooden floors of a Hanok as beds weren't commonly used. Generally speaking it didn't matter which person used which jukbuin as they were simply being used by different family members during different nights. Despite this, the notion existed that a son should never use his father's jukbuin to show him respect.

Every year the Damyang Bamboo Festival is held in Damyang County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea which showcases a large number of local products that are made from bamboo. This annual event keeps the jukbuin in the news every year as the Damyang Bamboo Festival hosts a large array of them.

In the modern era jukbuin for infants were introduced. In modern Korea many aficionados of jukbuin combine the traditional jukbuin with modern technology to make it more comfortable for their needs.

In culture

Films

Because chikufujin are hand-woven from cheap materials, they are an item used to connote the poverty of the manufacturer. In the Japanese film Lady Snowblood, a supporting character (Kobue) pretends to make her living by weaving chikufujin to conceal her profession as a prostitute from her father.

Riddles

On certain Chinese numismatic charms there is a reference to bamboo wives in the form of a riddle. This riddle inscription on these amulets read: "Empty eye without eyeball. The couple live together without love. In autumn the wife leaves. When the lotus blooms again she returns.", the answer to which is the bamboo wife.