A Sakabukuro or Traditional Sake Filter: Long and Interesting Stitched Mending

early twentieth century
31 3/4" x 9", 80.5 cm x 23 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 mending and we see the wonderfully odd stitches applied for this purpose.  

This bag with its rich, warm brown color and its wonderful, spare mending makes it a handsome example of a sakabukuro.

Note that the stitched mending is found mainly on one side of the bag with small areas in the bag's center--and the thread color varies depending if it was dipped into the fermented persimmon tannin or not.

A really good looking sakabukuro, and one of high quality and attractiveness.