Furoshiki handkerchief 19.7 inches Cherry blossoms, five-story pagoda, Mt. Fuji

“Furoshiki” are square shaped cloths used in Japan to wrap items and carry them.  Although it is hard to know exactly when furoshiki became part of Japanese culture, they have been around as long as anyone can remember.

There are quite a few designs of furoshiki, which have different colors as well as different meanings and traditions. Red furoshiki are for celebration, purple ones are for showing respect, deep blue ones are for mourning, while the Japanese traditional “wasabi” color (a light moss green) is for any occasion.

These days, people have many options to choose from: furoshiki come in casual patterns, traditional patterns or plain with different textures.

Being made of cloth, furoshiki can be stored easily, are very light and can wrap many different kinds of shapes. For those reasons, furoshiki are convenient for day-to-day needs and even in emergency situations. They can be used to wrap several small goods together or wrap one bulky item, like a wine bottle or a large sake (rice wine) bottle.

In addition to these advantages, furoshiki can just be washed like other cloths when they get dirty. Since younger generations of Japanese realized that furoshiki are also environmentally friendly, they became even more popular.