A Rustic Twined Cotton and Straw Bag: 1930s

ca. 1930
bag size: 16″ x 15″, 40 cm x 38 cm

This is a marvelously rustic and well-used bag which was discussed on our blog in late April of this year.  The bag is thick and heavy in its construction, which is done by twining rice straw rope covered in cotton rags.  

As can be seen on the accompanying photos, the cotton rags have been abraded from heavy use, and much of the cotton is now gone.  The twine used to create this bag is thick, so the bag--constructed like a kind of pocket--is heavy in the hand, and even though some of the surface is flaking, the hand made bag still seems to be rather sturdy.

With its two, thick rope ties which are threaded through the back of the back, this seems to be a kind of back pack or back pad.  As mentioned in the blog posting, we found some original contents of the bag--a smashed box of safety matches, some dried leaves, a few pine needles and a carefully folded, hand made envelope (or sorts) made of newspaper–which is dated 1935. 

A truly marvelous hand made artifact from old Japan, this rustic, everyday bag is very recommended.