An Unusual "Furoshiki-on-a-Furoshiki": Hand Painted Details

early to mid twentieth century
55" x 60", 139.5 cm x 152.5 cm

A furoshiki is a traditional Japanese wrapping/storage/carrying cloth: usually it is square shaped and can be of any size depending on the job it needs to do.

This particular one is very odd because it is composed of two furoshiki that have been stitched together. A small, older, resist dyed indigo furoshiki has been stitched onto a larger, commercially made furoshiki.

It seems the reason for this is the small one would reinforce the center of the larger one: as furoshiki are under a good deal of tension due to the tying of the four corners of the cloth around a bundle often the center was reinforced.

The indigo furoshiki is older than the green one--note the hand painted details on the resist dyed flower, upper, right-hand corner. And note, too, the sagging center of the furoshiki pair: this distension is a permanent aspect to the cloth and cannot be reversed.

Strange and wonderful.