ALL ITEMS
History Of HUROSHIKI
" It is ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY "
The first huroshiki cloths were tsutsumi ("wrapping"), used during the Nara period from 710 to 794 AD as protection for precious temple objects.
Known as huroshiki during the Muromachi period; the term huroshiki (literally "bath spread", from furo (風呂, "bath"), and shiki (敷, "spread")) is said to have come about after high-ranking visitors to bathhouses packed their belongings in cloth decorated with their family crest.
They became popular in the Edo period with increased access to bathhouses by the general public; moreover, cloths with family crests grew in demand as common people gained the right to have family crests during the Meiji period.
Huroshiki usage declined in the post-war period, in large part due the proliferation of paper and plastic bags available to shoppers. In recent years, however, it has seen a renewed interest as environmental protection has become a greater concern. In 2006, Japanese Minister of the Environment, Yuriko Koike, showcased a specially-designed huroshiki cloth to promote environmental awareness.
In 2020, The Observer reported a growing interest in huroshiki in the UK, in part as a response to its perceived greater environmental sustainability compared to traditional single-use wrapping paper.
In a 2023 interview, a Kyoto manufacturer of huroshiki, founded in 1937 said that huroshiki are now used as bags or pillow cover in Japan.
