Furo-shiki is a piece of square cloth made of cotton, silk, or polyester fiber.
Furo means bath in Japanese and it is originally for wrap up clothes you have removed at a public bath house.
Now, we use furoshiki in many ways, such as a baggage or a wrapper.
The size of furoshiki differs; some are large enough to wrap futon or small furniture, and some are very small to carry boxed lunch.
Because it is only the cloth, the shape can be altered according to the contents.
When I was a high school student, I used furoshiki to bring an LP record and school necessities.
Some people use it to transport bottles of wine.
I use the furoshiki in a dance studio to wrap up my clothes -- a coat, sweaters, pants, socks and underwear.
My furoshikies, mostly made of cotton, can be washed in washing machines and bear the weight as heavy as I can carry.
It is eco-friendly and desirable in this era when every people are sanitation-conscious.
Quiz : What do you suppose is contained in this furoshiki?
The answer will be in my next blog.
