Pop Japan

Furoshiki is a piece of cloth used in the Japanese traditional way of wrapping food, gifts and other items. Historically known as the "bath spread," the practice is said to have come from the Edo period, when pieces of cloths are used to pack clothes when going to sentos or public bath houses. This had been a practice to prevent the mixing of clothes while inside the bath house. The Japanese had eventually discovered the functionality of this cloth-wrapping practice that it had evolved into a variety of uses, including gift wrapping.

Photo by katorisi. Licensed under Creative Commons. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en)

Tags: furoshiki, cloth, bath spread, edo period, public bath house, sento, functionality, cloth wrapping, gift wrapping