The other day I visited a furoshiki store in Kyoto.
There I learned why it is called a furoshiki?
I had never heard of it before, but the word "furoshiki" comes from the word "furo," meaning "bath," and "shiki" meaning "mat.
It is said that the name "furoshiki," which is used today, was first used in the Muromachi period (1333-1573).
In those days, baths(風呂furo) were steam baths, not bathtubs, so feudal lords and warriors laid out a cloth in the bath, wiped their feet after bathing, and groomed themselves on the cloth.
It is also said that they wrapped their clothes in cloths with their family crests on them to prevent them from being mistaken for other people's clothes.
During the Edo period, the furoshiki spread to the common people who went to public bathhouses, and it became a daily commodity.
It seems that the cloth used to wrap things came to be generally called furoshiki.It's very interesting!
My Furoshiki Channel
