A Sakabukuro of Sake Making Filter: Long, Beautiful Mend

early twentieth century
32" x 12 1/2", 81.25 cm x 31.5 cm

A sakabukuro is a straining bag or filter used in sake production. Crude sake, or sake lees, is poured into this bag. The sealed bag is then subjected to the force of great pressure and the sake is filtered out of the this strainer.

This particular sakabukuro is made of a kind of commercially produced cotton canvas which has been saturated with kaki shibu, or green persimmon tannin and shows a relatively pale brownish tone.

But please pay special attention to the beautiful, long column of white cotton hand stitched mending. And notice on the reverse side some stitched mending which is now brown in color, evidence that this bag was stitched and over dyed before the dramatic white stitching was applied. Note as well a small tear to the upper, left hand corner as seen on the lead photo.

Just lovely.