Not currently on display at the V&A

Fukusa (Gift Cover)

ca. 1868-1912 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Fukusa (gift cover) of reddish brown satin weave silk with silk thread embroidery depicting two crows and a sunrise. The crows are embroidered in black thread, mixed in with purple and green threads to portray the birds' plumage as realistically as possible. The sun is embroidered in white, its outline is not clearly defined but it is represented as being in a mist. The lining is safflower (beni) red crêpe silk (chirimen), sewn in the tachikiri-awase style using 38.5 cm width fabric for the front and lining. In the right hand corner there is a poorly executed embroidery of bamboo, pine needles and plum blossoms (shou-chiku-bai), contrasting sharply to the fine craftsmanship of the front. The lining may have been embroidered by the user of the fukusa, having acquired the front separately. The motif of the sun and crows, represents the sun god Amaterasu Omikami and Yata-garasu (Yata-crow), who guided Emperor Jinmu, the first Emperor of Japan to victory in Yamato. The crows are depicted as a couple symbolising peace and harmony. This fukusa is traditionally used at New Year, as a tribute to enlistment or enrolment in the army, the conferring of a decoration, or as a farewell gift for soldiers going into battle. The motif on the fukusa reflects the loyalty and patriotism that centred around the Imperial family in the Meiji period.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Crêpe silk (<i>chirimen</i>) with silk thread embroidery
Brief description
Fukusa (gift cover), crêpe silk (chirimen) with silk thread embroidery, Japan, ca. 1868-1912, Meiji period
Physical description
Fukusa (gift cover) of reddish brown satin weave silk with silk thread embroidery depicting two crows and a sunrise. The crows are embroidered in black thread, mixed in with purple and green threads to portray the birds' plumage as realistically as possible. The sun is embroidered in white, its outline is not clearly defined but it is represented as being in a mist. The lining is safflower (beni) red crêpe silk (chirimen), sewn in the tachikiri-awase style using 38.5 cm width fabric for the front and lining. In the right hand corner there is a poorly executed embroidery of bamboo, pine needles and plum blossoms (shou-chiku-bai), contrasting sharply to the fine craftsmanship of the front. The lining may have been embroidered by the user of the fukusa, having acquired the front separately. The motif of the sun and crows, represents the sun god Amaterasu Omikami and Yata-garasu (Yata-crow), who guided Emperor Jinmu, the first Emperor of Japan to victory in Yamato. The crows are depicted as a couple symbolising peace and harmony. This fukusa is traditionally used at New Year, as a tribute to enlistment or enrolment in the army, the conferring of a decoration, or as a farewell gift for soldiers going into battle. The motif on the fukusa reflects the loyalty and patriotism that centred around the Imperial family in the Meiji period.
Dimensions
  • Width: 27in
  • Length: 33in
Credit line
Given by T.B. Clarke-Thornhill
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.162-1927

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
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