A furoshiki is a “wrapping and carrying cloth” used since olden times in Japan. It appears in writings of the Nara Period as tsutsumi (a bundle) referring to a cloth used to wrap the treasures stored in Shoso-in (an Imperial Treasury at Todai-ji temple).
While there are several theories about how the cloth came to be known as furoshiki, a common story dates back to the Muromachi Period when Shogun Yoshimitsu Ashikaga built an ōyudono (a large bathhouse) to entertain feudal lords.
The lords wrapped their clothes in a cloth on which their family crest was imprinted to distinguish their own clothing from another’s, and after coming out of the bath, it was used to stand on while grooming. This practice later became common in the Edo Period together with the popularization of sento (public baths). However, the use of furoshiki decreased together with the introduction of western bags after the Meiji Period. However with the focus on environmental problems in recent years, the furoshiki is attracting renewed attention as it can be used over and over again.

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