Illustrated Japanese Culture
風呂敷（ふろしき）
A furoshiki is a roughly square cloth used to wrap and carry objects. Folding and knotting turn the same flat fabric into a covering for a lunch box, a carrier or a gift wrapping. The object’s shape and the cloth’s size determine how much fabric is available for the folds and knots.
01
Cotton, silk, rayon and polyester are among the materials used for furoshiki. Fibre and weave affect the cloth’s thickness, flexibility and care. Follow the particular textile’s label rather than washing every wrapping cloth in the same way.
The box is the same; the cloth size differs. This is not a fixed sizing formula.
Small cloths around 45–50 centimetres, medium ones around 68–70 centimetres and larger ones around 90–120 centimetres are examples of modern product sizes. They are not a single national standard. Allow room around the object for folds and a secure knot.
A motif that fills the flat cloth may disappear beneath the object or into a knot. The fabric’s front and back, and the direction of the design, help determine the finished appearance.
02
For a common otsukai-zutsumi box wrapping, place the box in the middle of a diagonally positioned cloth. Bring the near and far corners over it, then tie the side corners. Bottles and soft clothing may need other wrapping arrangements.
Ma-musubi is the square or reef knot used in many basic wrappings. Make the two ties in opposite orientations, then tighten the ends to form a flat knot.
To release this knot, turn one end back so that it straightens, then slide the other part along it. This changes the knot’s structure and makes it easier to undo than pulling every loop tighter.
03
People wrapped objects in cloth before furoshiki became the usual name. Earlier terms include hira-zutsumi, a flat wrapping.
As bathhouse use spread in the Edo period, cloths associated with bathing—wrapping clothes or being placed underfoot—overlapped with other wrapping uses. Furoshiki gradually became a general name for a carrying cloth.
Large furoshiki accompanied bedding and household objects, including bridal goods. The Meiji–Taishō cloth shown at the beginning, from the Hachiro Yuasa Memorial Museum, measures 140 by 128 centimetres and uses tsutsugaki resist dyeing on a hemp textile, with noshi and treasure motifs.
The spread of ready-made bags reduced some everyday uses. Furoshiki now also serve as gift wrapping, shopping carriers and interior textiles. Tokyo’s projects in Paris in 2018 and Tokyo in 2019 presented contemporary designs and reusable wrapping.
No. It begins as a flat, roughly square cloth.
No. Their forms may look related, but their customary uses differ.
Examples include cotton, silk, rayon and polyester.
The cloth needs enough spare fabric for folding and knotting around the object.
No. Wrapping can hide parts beneath the object or in the knot.
In the centre of a diagonally placed cloth.
The square or reef knot used in many basic wrappings.
Straighten one end by turning it back, then slide the other part along it.
No. The practice predates the modern name.
For gift wrapping, shopping carriers and interior textiles, among other uses.