The origin of zabuton dates back to the Kamakura Period, and they became the shape we know today in the middle of the Edo Period when they became widely used among ordinary people, although prior to that they had been symbols of the power of high priests and other powerful people.
座布団の成立は鎌倉時代ごろまで遡り、江戸時代中期には現在の形となって庶民にも広く普及したものの、古くは権力者や高僧などの権力の象徴として用いられた経緯がある。