A Brief Story About Furoshiki

Furoshiki (風呂敷) is a type of cloth that originated in Japan during the Nara period (719 B.C.). The name furoshiki is a combination of two words, ‘furo‘ meaning ‘bath’ and ‘shiki‘ meaning ‘to spread’. It is a versatile cloth that can be used for gift wrapping, fashion, or transporting items.

During the Nara period (719 B.C.), the Japanese used cloths, then called tsutsumi, to wrap important goods and treasures. The term furoshiki originated during the Muromochi period (1136-1573). Although many people believe it to be unique to Japanese culture, similar wrapping cloths have been used in many countries, including Korea, where a patchwork wrapping cloth named Bojagi has been used for centuries. As awareness about environmental protection has increased, furoshiki has been reevaluated as an eco-friendly wrapping cloth. Furoshiki is compact when folded and can be reused multiple times. Furthermore, wrapping an object shows care and respect to the receiver.

The Ministry of the Environment in Japan published this document online that compiles various techniques for wrapping objects with a furoshiki. The download is available for free.