Gift cover

Object Type
This Japanese textile is a fukusa or gift cover. In the Edo period (1615-1868) the exchange of gifts was an important social ritual. Gifts were usually presented in a box on a tray over which the fukusa would be placed. The choice of a fukusa appropriate to the occasion was an important part of the gift-giving ceremony. The richness of the decoration was an indication of the donor's wealth and the design showed evidence of their taste and cultural sensitivity

Materials & Making
Many fukusa are embroidered. Much of the design in this example has been executed in gold thread, which looks dazzling against the black velvet ground. The thread consists of a silk core wrapped in paper and gold leaf. It has been laid on the surface of the fabric and attached with tiny stitches, a technique called couching. The three-dimensional effect was achieved by padding out various parts of the design with cotton prior to embroidering.

Subjects Depicted
This fukusa depicts the legend of Jo and Uba. They were an old couple who lived a long and happy life together. When they died their spirits occupied the old pine tree on the island where they had lived. On moonlit nights they returned in human form to clear the forest floor, Jo raking in the good and Uba sweeping out the bad. The story symbolises conjugal harmony and long life.