A Sheet of Wrapping Cloth Transforms into an Artform

MORITA Chizuko, Representative for Furoshiki Kenkyukai (Furoshiki Study Group)

Due to increasing concern about the environment, a movement to stop customers from using disposal plastic bags handed out by supermarkets and other stores has been rapidly expanding recently and more people now carry their own bags. Against this backdrop, furoshiki (wrapping cloth) is now attracting attention. Furoshiki is simply a sheet of cloth, but it can wrap anything regardless of shape, and it is reusable.

Now, in addition to its function as a carrying apparatus, it is being viewed as a gift wrapping. Exceeding the original function of wrapping, wrapping finish is now recognized as an art. Each sheet of furoshiki that wraps different shapes such as books, fruit and sake can now be made into a beautiful artform. This could be considered as a new type of art.

Gift wrapping amazes foreign people
It is MORITA Chizuko, Kyoto resident who is focusing on presenting furoshiki in new ways. "I wanted to do something useful for society since 20 years ago," says Chizuko. "I encountered furoshiki, whose usage was gradually fading from modern life and I felt a sense of crisis that it might disappear before too much longer. Furoshiki used to be a symbol of Japan's living culture. I wanted to revive it in the present day." With that in mind she organized the Furoshiki Study Group in 1992.

Chizuko looked into the possibilities for furoshiki; whether apples or chocolates can be beautifully wrapped, whether it can be used as a bag, or whether it would be suitable for interior decoration. "I am awkward, so in the early stage I learnt from a manufacturer about how to wrap with furoshiki," Chgizuko says. "I have never thought I would receive lecture requests from citizen groups or that many of my books would be published."

For the first 5 or 6 years, her activities were not acknowledged, but they were realized in an unexpected way. "We started to receive many requests, including international exchange groups that requested lectures as their foreign guests visit them, and members whose daughters were planning to study abroad or whose husbands were taking a business trip overseas." Since furoshiki is only a sheet of cloth, it is easy to learn how to wrap things with it and convenient to take it with you.

"As a member of a culture mission I went to Boston, a sister city of Kyoto, where many types of Japanese culture were introduced. Among them furoshiki wrapping was one of the most popular events." Furoshiki wrapping may soon be recognized by people around the world as a new aspect of Japanese culture.

Rush of lecture requests from local governments
On the domestic scene, she received many lecture requests from local governments. It was not only its ecological value that drew attention to furoshiki wrapping, but the benefits gained from using one's hands. After some time, furoshiki wrapping came to be used at lifetime study centers and seniors' classes, by handicapped people and consumers. Even those who have eye problems joined as they could experience the texture of the cloth with their hands.

At the start, there were only 20 group members, but that number has since grown to 430 and spread all over the country. Of this number, 90 percent are female. Members' ages range from 20s to 70s, but the majority are in their 40s and 50s. The society is a non-profit organization which has been registered by the Ministry of the Environment and while her profession is a copywriter, her time has been taken up by the group's activities. Her main work at present is focused on raising local leaders, working on proposals for more beautiful works, and corresponding with the media.

She also hosts leader training lectures and intensive lectures about wrapping. Members make many requests, such as asking for membership cards and to receive a certificate for finishing the lecture, but she does not do anything requiring money. She takes a new type of management that excludes authoritarianism. Furoshiki wrapping draws a clear line separating itself from established Japanese culture, which often uses a grand master system where a leader dominates the school with dignity. Chizuko, on the other hand, maintains the spirit of non-profit organizations.

Imagination comes out because it is a sheet of cloth
Using furoshiki meets the concepts of the 3R campaign (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) that Prime Minister Koizumi advocates. Her activities caught the eyes of Minster of the Environment KOIKE Yuriko and she appeared on a talk show with the Minister in an event held at Mitsukoshi department store's flagship shop in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, this January. She appears in many lectures and events, but she does not boast about her success.

The history of furoshiki goes back to the Nara period (710~784AD). Many people think furoshiki is unique to Japanese culture, however it has in fact been used in many countries. It is mostly used as an instrument to carry baggage and children. In Japan, while it is basically used for carrying and storing things, it has developed in a unique way in the field of gift giving. From the Edo period, people became very particular about cloth materials and designs and some people even included their family crest and name on furishiki. The cloth developed more like a culture. In this regard, it can be counted as an aspect of Japanese culture.

At present, few stores sell furoshiki. "There are only 5 ~ 6 manufacturers in Tokyo and a little more than 10 in Kyoto," says Chizuko. "'Sales are limited to department stores and souvenir shops." Prices varies from 500 yen to 30,000 yen. Furoshiki costing between 1,000 yen and 1,500 yen are used most commonly. As material, silk is the best. Cotton and synthetic fibers are often utilized, but cotton is the easiest to use.

Chizuko explains about the attractiveness of gift-wrapping. "Only a sheet of cloth is used, so imagination comes out and I discover many possibilities. The communication among people who attend the lectures is also a joy." She is trying to create more beautiful wrappings everyday, thinking of the best wrapping. Recipients will struggle between wanting to keep the wrapping on and fighting the temptation to unwrap it.

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