A Sakabukuro or Sake Filter: Spare Mending
early to mid twentieth century
31 3/4" x 9", 81 cm x 23 cm
Sakabukuro, or sake straining bags, are beautiful boro textiles. Made of cotton which is 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 mending and we see the wonderful stitches applied to the bottom of the bag for this purpose.
This is a nice example of a fairly un-mended sakabukuro and it shows spare mending in the form of a row of stitches done in thick thread.
This is a handsome sakabukuro with simple and very attractive mending.