What’s Furoshiki?
Furoshiki, a single piece of fabric, usually cotton, has been used in Japan for more than 1,000 years. The name has changed over the years – a record remaining from the Nara period (710-794) describes how people kept their valuables wrapped in fabrics called tsutsumi. In the Kamakura period (1192-1338), these same cloths were known as koromozutsumi.
Meanwhile, usage of the word “furoshiki” increased as public baths (furo) became more common (1500-1600s). Originally a furo was not a soaking bath but a steam bath, and people used furoshiki to wrap their clothes while they were in
the bath. By the middle of the Edo period, people were commonly referring to wrapping cloths as furoshiki.
The Story of Creation
This double-sided Japanese knot design came into existence through the collaboration of Isa Monyo Research Institute and Musubi, the furoshiki cloth producer. The bigger size makes this furoshiki great for use as home decoration, using it as a bag or as a furniture cover.
About The Makers
MUSUBI is the brand of Yamada sen-i, which was established in 1937 as a manufacturer of Furoshiki. “MUSUBI” comes from “born(生す/musu)” and “beauty(美/bi)”. Additionally, “MUSUBI” means “a knot” and “to tie.”
Isa Monyo Research Institute was founded by Kunio Isa, one of the most influential traditional stencil printing artists in Japan. Born in Kyoto in 1931, Isa comes from a family of craftsmen dating back generations and is best known for his colorful stencil-dyed prints featuring a process called katazome. He has produced more than three thousand works of art based on design stencils over the course of his career, which are now preserved in the Isa Monyo Research Institute.
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