A Well-Worn Tsunobukuro: Rustic Bast Fiber Cloth Horn Bag
early twentieth century
27" x 13", 68.5 cm x 33 cm
This is a tsunobukuro, or horn bag, so called because of its distinctive appearance: this bag is fashioned from one length of cloth 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.
This smaller-sized and beautifully worn tsunobukuro is hand stitched from hand plied, thick or heavy hemp cloth.
Here the bag is shown inside-out in order to reveal the charming patch at the bottom of the bag. What enriches the simple beauty of this bag is the beautiful tonal effect of the darkened area which, no doubt, is the result of much use. One of the "horns" on top is missing its finished hem.
For a 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 good example of an old, repaired horn bag.