A Small Patched Hemp Cloth Tsunobukuro: Horn Bag

early twentieth century
23" x 14 1/2", 58.5 cm x 37 cm

This is a tsunobukuro, or horn bag, so called because of its distinctive appearance: this smallish bag is fashioned from one length of woven hemp cloth which is hand sewn on the bias, the result of this construction are two "horns" which appear at the top of the bag.

Tsunobukuro are a kind of collector's piece and are well-regarded by those who collect Japanese folk textiles.

Because the cloth of a tsunobukuro is set on a bias this bag is stretchy and it can accommodate a large volume of rice, grain or beans which it was intended to store.

The cloth used to create this bag is interesting because it is woven from a very subtle, wide-striped hemp cloth, almost unnoticeable unless you look closely.

Here the bag is shown inside-out in order to reveal the charming cotton patches and the many small areas of mending stitches.

For the serious collector of  old Japanese of rural cloth and utilitarian, functional fabrics, this bag is a welcome addition to your collection both for its condition and its type: it is a very good example of an old, repaired horn bag.

Recommended.