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"Origami Style" Vintage Fukusa

"Origami Style" Vintage Fukusa

Painted

Regular price $89.00
Regular price $99.00 Sale price $89.00
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  • Ships from NY
  • One-of-a-kind
  • Sourced from Japan
This listing is for a vintage - perhaps antique - fukusa gift cover. See explanation below for how fukusa are used and a bit about their history.

This fukusa features a painted design of papers folded in a stylized origami crane design. There are two layers of the design - one with cranes and the other with pine boughs. Both are symbols of fidelity and longevity - hand painted with lovely detail.

One tassel at each corner that seem to be tarnished silver or gold.

The backside is red, suggesting that the gift-giving event was formal - perhaps a wedding. The backside of this fukusal is a red silk jacquard, which suggests the piece could be pre-WWII or from the 1950s.

As with many antique textiles that started out white, there are small blemishes from age, but it is still in very good condition and could be framed or displayed - or used! Slight blemishing on the backside as well - see photos.

From Wikipedia:
Fukusa are a type of Japanese textile used for gift-wrapping or for purifying equipment during a Japanese tea ceremony. Fukusa are square or almost square pieces of lined fabric ranging in size from about 9–36 inches (230–910 mm) along one side. They are typically made of fine silk, and may be decorated with embroidery in auspicious designs.

The use of fukusa as a way of presenting gifts has mostly died out, lingering instead mainly in certain ritual exchanges of gifts during weddings in a few regions of Japan.

Traditionally in Japan, gifts were placed in boxes or on a wooden or lacquered tray, over which a fukusa would be draped. The choice of a fukusa appropriate to the occasion was considered an important part of the gift itself, and part of its formality. The practice of covering a gift became widespread during the Edo period (1603-1867).

The scene or motifs depicted on fukusa are chosen to indicate either the occasion for which the gift is being given, or because they are appropriate for one of the annual festivals when gifts are exchanged. The richness of the decoration of the fukusa attests to the giver's wealth and aesthetics.

Once a gift was exchanged, after being admired, the fukusa and box or tray presented with the gift are typically returned to the gift's original giver. However, before the Meiji Restoration, when gifts were presented to a high official, the fukusa was not always returned.

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Length: 26"
Width: 24"
Made In (Estimated): 1960s
Condition: Very Good
Fiber: Silk
Technique: Paiinted
Colors: Cream, Multi
Motifs: Crane, Origami

SKU:0923fukusaFC10

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