A Tsutsugaki Dyed Furoshiki: Family Crest as Three Sail Boats

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
51" x 41", 129 cm x 104 cm

A furoshiki is a traditional Japanese utilitarian cloth that is used for the storage or transportation of things.  Furoshiki come in all sizes and they serve a variety of purposes: small, silk, furoshiki are used for the presentation of gifts, while cotton ones such as this are generally used for storage and work, the larger ones used to bundle goods.

This particular furoshiki is hand stitched from three-and-a-half panels of cotton which are decorated and dyed in the tsutsugaki or freehand resist dyed method.  

The image which is emblazoned at the center of the furoshiki is a family crest showing three stylized sailboats that have been fit into a circle making it difficult (at first) to work out what image is emblazoned on this cloth. These boats are delicately drawn and the resist work seemed to have leaked a bit since the image is slightly mottled. There is a name written in katakana syllables on the upper right hand corner of the cloth.

The wrapping cloth is used and it shows wear in the form of surface scuffing, slight fading and a tear or two: have a look at the detail photos attached to see the scuffs and wear to the cloth.

It is a very handsome item and one whose tsutsugaki roundel is well-realized.  A very nice old Japanese folk textile and really, really wonderful for its fairly unusual family crest.

Lovely.