1. The First Written Example of the Word "Sofa" Appeared in a Guest Room
The Digital Daijisen dictionary cites an article from the Jiji Shinpo newspaper on October 20, 1889 (Meiji 22), as the first real-world example of the word "sofa" in Japanese. The text reads "sohā in the reception room," and the spelling at the time was "sohā" [1]. This is the first example listed by the dictionary, not necessarily the year sofas entered Japan. However, the fact that an early example in Japanese language records refers to a room for receiving guests suggests that sofas were initially seen as furniture for visitors, not for family use. In the 1906 novel Sonomikage by Futabatei Shimei, a sofa also appears in a scene where someone lies on a long seat [1]. To answer the main question broadly: the materials suggest that in the Meiji era, sofas were furniture for places like Western-style mansions and reception rooms for guests, and they spread into homes via the living room after the war. There is no data to pinpoint exactly when they became common in ordinary houses. Next, we look at where the name came from.
2. The Word "Sofa" Comes from Seats Used at Court
Tracing the word "sofa" leads to the English sofa, the French sofa, and the Arabic suffa [2]. According to the Daijisen explanation, it was originally a seat used by high-ranking officials of the Ottoman Empire in large halls for meeting guests, where carpets and cushions were laid out [1]. What can be said here is about the origin of the word, not a story about who invented the furniture. The World Encyclopedia explains that in Europe, in the late 17th century, the "divan" was devised by incorporating thick cushions used in Turkish and Persian court councils (diwan) into long seats, upholstered with stuffing and fabric [3]. On the other hand, Wikipedia notes that the appearance of the armchair-equipped long seat, which is the ancestor of the modern sofa, is dated to 18th-century France, showing a range in origins from the late 17th to the 18th century [4]. So, in what kind of Meiji-era Japanese homes were such long seats found?
3. Long Seats in Meiji Western-Style Mansions Were for Only Some People
An article introducing the special exhibition "Western-Style Mansions: Dreams and Challenges of the Meiji Era" held at the Edo-Tokyo Museum in 2026 features a long seat used in the ballroom of the Arisugawa-no-miya residence, dated 1884, as one of the exhibits. The article introduces Western-style residences for the imperial family and upper classes [5]. This means that long seats in Western-style mansions were furniture found in the homes of only some people. Whether these can be called "sofas" depends on the source, but it is clear that the form of living with seats entered Western-style mansions first. On the other hand, for Japanese people who did not have a habit of sitting on chairs in their homes, chair-sitting was introduced first in school classrooms as part of the policy to adopt Western customs, according to materials from Kyushu University [6]. The long seats in mansions and the chairs in schools were two steps that needed one more to connect to the guest rooms of ordinary homes.
4. The Reception Room: A Chair-Sitting Room Added to Tatami Homes
The bridge between these two was the reception room (ōsetsu-ma). Encyclopedia explanations state that reception rooms appeared in middle-class homes in major cities in the 1890s (Meiji 30s) and spread to homes of urban salaried workers (such as company employees) from the Taisho to the early Showa periods [7]. Along with this, demand arose for reception sets consisting of "armchairs, long seats, and tables." A point of interest is that the reception room is described as a "Japanese-Western hybrid reception room that adopted chair-style living habits" [7]. This can be read as a form where Western style was adopted only in one room for receiving guests, rather than changing the entire house to chair-based living. One chair-based room was added inside a tatami-floored house. However, the explanation covers only "middle-class homes in major cities" and "urban salaried workers." From this material, it is not clear when they spread to homes in rural areas or small towns. This room for guests began to decrease after the war. Where did the sofa's place move to?
5. After the War, Fewer Guest Rooms and Sofas Moving into Living Rooms
After World War II, floor plans with reception rooms became less common in small urban houses and collective housing, and it is explained that many hosts began receiving visitors in the living room [7]. If rooms for guests decreased, one might see a flow of sofas moving to the living room. A study by Shimane University (2013) states that in the 1940s (Showa 20s), living centered on Japanese-style rooms and sitting on the floor was dominant, but the introduction of the dining kitchen into housing in the late 1940s to 1950s (Showa 20s-30s) triggered a change to chair-sitting, and sofas began to enter living rooms [8]. The word "trigger" is used, so it cannot be said that the cause was determined to be a single factor. A representative example of the introduction of the dining kitchen is the standard design of the Japan Housing Corporation. The Corporation was established in 1955, and one of the standard designs prepared in November of that year, a 2DK in a 4-story stairwell-type building, is introduced. This report lists "the birth of the dining kitchen" in its period divisions [9]. New ways of living, such as eating while sitting on chairs, were proposed. However, the idea of the dining kitchen did not necessarily suddenly appear at the Corporation; there are also studies tracing pre-war concepts. So, how widely did sofas that entered the living room spread, and how did they change family life?
6. Survey Results: About 70% of Homes Have a Living Room Sofa
In a survey from the same Shimane University study, about 70% of households had a sofa in the living room, and about 30% of those households with sofas answered that "the time family members gather in the living room has increased." The researchers believe that sofas have the effect of drawing families into the living room [8]. Let us do a quick calculation. About 30% of about 70% is $0.7 \times 0.3 \approx 0.21$. If converted to the total number of surveyed households regardless of whether they have a sofa, approximately 1 in 5 households answered that "time together has increased." Caution is needed in reading these numbers. The survey subjects were limited regions and households, not a percentage for all of Japan. "Increased" is the respondents' feeling, and it is not determined that the sofa was the cause. Nevertheless, from this survey, it can be read that the sofa, which was once furniture for guests, is also perceived as furniture that gathers families in the living room. From furniture for guests to furniture for family. How is this change happening with the sofa in your home?
7. Questions to Ask Your Family About When Your Sofa Arrived
If you have a sofa at home, ask your family when it arrived and where they sat in the living room before it. Stories from grandparents' homes might reveal life before sofas were placed in the living room. If there is no sofa in your home, look at the chairs in the house or the places where everyone sits, and ask the same questions. You can also observe where you talk when visitors come. Homes that had reception rooms, homes that welcome guests in the living room, and homes that handle it in the dining area. Compare how far the flow of this article applies to your home. For those who want to see the original text, the entry for "Sofa" in the Digital Daijisen on Kotobank includes a sentence with "sohā in the reception room" in the column for first recorded examples [1]. You can see that dictionary examples serve as clues to the history of words. The sofa that was in a room for receiving guests in dictionary examples is now also placed in the living room where families spend time. Let us consider this transition through the sofa in your home.