A Komebukuro or Rice Bag: Indian-like Cotton Prints
$75.00 USD
mid twentieth century
9" x 8" x 8", 22.8 cm x 20.3 cm x 20.3 cm
This attractive drawstring bag is hand sewn from pieces of commercially produced Japanese cottons that were intended to mimic "exotic" cloth from South and Southeast Asia. The bottom of the bag shows an applique of a flower with a very nice chain stitch embroidered detail.
This kind of piece-constructed, drawstring bag is often referred to as a komebukuro.
Komebukuro are bags that were used to bring token offerings of uncooked rice or beans to a temple or shrine festival, the piecing and patching often being thought-out and planned, for festive effect.
A charming bag with a lovely "swirled" construction, it is in good, used condition and is lined in old cotton.This is a colorful and lighthearted example of a komebukuro and indicates the interest in imported cloth and its "exotic" appeal in Japan.