Furoshiki - The ancient Japanese art of gifting....

     Courtesy - my friend (Shaf), today I came across this fantabulous Japanese long-time tradition called 'Furoshiki'. The word Furoshiki means 'bath spread'. First used in public bath houses,'furoshiki' served as a wrap to hold the bather's clothes. Eventually, the furoshiki’s usage extended to serve as a means for merchants to transport their wares or to protect and decorate a gift.

      'Furoshiki' are often decorated with traditional designs or by 'shibori' (silk crepe), or 'chirimen' (tie-dyed fabric). Modern 'furoshiki' can be made of a variety of materials, including silk, cotton, rayon, or nylon and of course are reusable. A 'furoshiki' is nothing more than a sheet of cloth, but it can adequately wrap anything regardless of shape, for example as gift wrapping because of its design and pleasing appearance. (Excerpt : Wikipedia,infomapJapan)

   'Furoshiki' were used for weddings in Japan earlier, where parents of the bride would prepare 'furoshiki' with patterns such as cranes and other birds, fans, pine trees and waves, all symbols believed to usher in happiness and fortune.

 Images via Jenn PlayFord Designs. 

 

Image via chewing the cud

 Wrapped wine-bottles from mottainai

Furoshiki bag with straps from  japon-kara

Eco-bags from Kyoto Breeze

 Furoshiki can be folded  in various forms and can be used as gift wraps (Visit Jenn PlayFord's wrapping techniques illustrated here) and to carry books, bottles, anything. This art of tie and knot done without the use of scissors and tape is amazing indeed !! Happy wrapping ;-) !