A Hemp Stitched Sakabkuro: Beautiful Color

mid twentieth century
31 1/2" x 8 3/4", 80 cm x 22.5 cm

Sakabukuro, or sake straining bags, are beautiful boro textiles. Made of cotton saturated with green persimmon tannin, or kaki shibu, which gives the distinctive brown color, this utilitarian textile was used in sake making.

Crude sake, or sake lees, was placed in this bag and pressure was applied to squeeze out and filter the liquid. Repeated use required repeated mendings and we see the wonderfully odd stitches applied for this purpose.  

This wonderful bag shows a wonderfully luminous, warm red/brown color from the kaki shibu.  The mending stitches are very attractive because of their material: crudely plied hemp threads were used to mend this sake straining bag and their placement on the bag is artful.

A really wonderful sakabukuro, and one of a high quality and attractiveness that is becoming more and more difficult to find.

Recommended.