Japanese Gift Covers from the Chris Hall Collection

The act of gifting is deeply ingrained and takes many forms across histories and cultures. Gifts reflect who we are and bind us together. The way something is given is equally significant, as it is often the customs and accoutrements of gifting that transform objects into gifts. In Japan, squares of lined silk called fukusa were used to cover and exchange formal gifts. Exquisitely embroidered, woven, painted, and dyed, fukusa are some of the finest examples of Japanese textile artistry.

Although largely overlooked in the study of Japanese art today, fukusa were ubiquitous in the Edo (1603–1868), Meiji (1868–1912), and Taishō (1912–26) periods. They facilitated the exchange of gifts and honoured both the giver and the recipient through their design. In the late 19th century, fukusa were also highly successful exports that played a role in defining Japan as it emerged as a global power. On view at the Peranakan Museum, Singapore, ‘Fukusa: Japanese Gift Covers from the Chris Hall Collection’ traces the use and changing significance of fukusa from the late 18th to the early 20th century, as Japan transformed from a relatively isolated island nation to a key player on the world stage. It celebrates a gift of Japanese art from the renowned textile collector Chris Hall to the Asian Civilisations Museum.

The practice of formally presenting gifts covered with fukusa began in the late 17th or early 18th century. The term fukusa was originally an adjective meaning ‘soft’ or ‘informal’. Today, it encompasses textile gift covers as well as cloths used in Japanese tea ceremonies. To distinguish between the two, the gift covers are sometimes called kake fukusa. This term was coined about 1955, when a commodity tax was imposed on fukusa and manufacturers had to define what a fukusa was (Takemura, 1991, p. 124). Fukusa differ from the more commonly known furoshiki, which are typically made of unlined cotton or hemp and are used in daily life to wrap and carry objects. The earliest surviving examples of fukusa belonged to Zuishun’in (Oden no Kata, 1658–1738), the favoured concubine of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (r. 1680–1709), the fifth shogun of the Tokugawa regime. These fukusa covered the seasonal gifts Tsunayoshi presented to her, which she donated in 1713 to the Kombu’in Temple in Nara (Kirihata, 1992).

Initially, fukusa were used in gifting ceremonies by the ruling warrior class (samurai) and nobility. Gift exchange involving fukusa formed part of a complex web of reciprocal obligations to maintain and cultivate relationships, which were central to social stability in the Edo period. Understanding the etiquette of gift-giving was expected of the sophisticated elite and aspiring commoners (Guth, 2024, p. 14) (fig. 1). By the early 19th century, well- to-do merchants had embraced the lifestyle and customs of the upper classes, including exchanging fukusa. This practice continued among wealthier members of Japanese society throughout the Meiji period and well into the 20th century, although how they were used may have varied over time.

Fukusa were used for many occasions. Besides regular events like seasonal festivities, they also celebrated and commemorated personal milestones such as births, new beginnings, weddings, educational and professional accomplishments, old age, and sometimes death. Scholars have likened fukusa to modern greeting cards, as each cover was carefully chosen to evoke the circumstance of the gift (Hays and Hays, 1983, p. 10). The presentation differed slightly depending on the occasion, but fukusa were almost always returned to the giver. Occasionally, a fukusa decorated with a specific seasonal pattern was part of the gift, such as the fukusa presented to Zuishun’in. The gift was usually placed on a lacquer box or tray and covered with a draped or folded fukusa. The recipient would accept the gift and admire the cover, and only then was the sentiment behind the gift fully realized. A small return gift was placed on the tray or box, covered by the same fukusa, and sent back to the giver (Takemura, 1991, pp. 101, 126, 176).

Paradoxically, a fukusa concealed the gift while revealing its significance through the design, serving as a form of intellectual exchange between the two parties. Each fukusa conveyed a sentiment or message, often through symbolic motifs or complex allusions, and a gift was not considered successful unless the recipient understood the meaning behind the decoration. Some designs were more explicit than others. For example, objects associated with certain occasions became part of the standard lexicon of fukusa designs. A fukusa decorated with lobsters (ise ebi) was used for New Year gifts, as lobsters symbolize the Ise shrine, a popular destination for New Year pilgrimages (fig. 2). Emblems of longevity frequently featured in fukusa used in milestone birthday celebrations (ga no iwai). Even within this conventionalized visual language, the variety of techniques and methods of representation reveal the creative ingenuity of both makers and patrons.

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Outer kimono with pine and cherry blossoms, featuring the *kanoko shibori* technique
Japan; late Edo (1603–1868) period, 19th century
Embroidery, gold thread, stitch-resist tie-dye (*nuishime shibori*), and ‘fawn spot’ tie-dye (*kanoko shibori*) on figured silk satin (*rinzu*); 164.5 x 123 cm
Asian Civilisations Museum, Gift of Chris Hall

Other fukusa feature sophisticated references to Japanese and Chinese literature. One embroidered with a pair of wings alludes to the Noh play Hagoromo (The Feather Robe), a story of friendship, kindness, and reciprocity—sentiments especially fitting on objects used to give and return presents (fig. 3). Another, decorated with an image of the poet-immortal Rin Nasei (Lin Hejing, 967–1028) would have been presented to elders and mentors (fig. 4). The absence of Rin’s attendant from the design suggests that the gift-giver is cleverly comparing himself to the attendant and the recipient to Rin. This fukusa was also suitable for presentations of red-bean buns (manju) that were given as return gifts at weddings. According to legend, manju were first made in Japan by a descendant of Rin Nasei (Takemura, 1991, pp. 166–67). While the message behind each design can be elusive for the modern viewer, interpreting these nuances would have showcased the erudition and cultural sensitivity of both the giver and receiver.

Besides imbuing gifts with personal meaning, fukusa also reflected the giver’s taste, wealth, and status. In the stylish world of Edo Japan, many fukusa followed the latest fashions and displayed lavish techniques or designs (fig. 5). These were periodically restricted by sumptuary dress laws. For example, regulations passed in 1682 and 1683 banned the manufacture and wearing of gold-figured gauze (kin sha), flashy embroidery, and all-over ‘fawn spot’ tie-dye (kanoko shibori) (Stinchecum, 1984, p. 53). Dress was closely associated with class, and these rules aimed to curtail flagrant displays of wealth and status, particularly for commoners like well-to- do merchants who wore notoriously ostentatious garments. Soft and supple silk damasks like rinzu, often imported from China, were favoured for both clothing and fukusa (Denney, 2013, p. 65).

Detail of a *fukusa* with flowers
Japan; Edo (1603–1868) or early Meiji (1868–1912) period, late 18th or 19th century
Embroidery, gold thread, ‘fawn spot’ tie-dye (*kanoko shibori*), and paste-resist dyeing (*yūzen*) on silk crepe (*chirimen*); 111 x 109.5 cm
Asian Civilisations Museum, Gift of Chris Hall

The intersection between fukusa and dress design was particularly pronounced in the late Edo period, as seen in a group of covers from the Hall collection. Their padded and curved borders recall kimono hems and sleeves that weighed the garment down and created a pleasing shape as the robe trailed behind the wearer (Bincsik, 2022, p. 88). Padded edges would have enhanced the drape of the fabric over a gift, while the curved corners elegantly accentuated the contours of falling silk. Other covers feature ‘palace landscape’ (goshodoki) designs, characterized by literary motifs scattered in stylized landscapes, that were otherwise reserved for warrior-class clothing. Some are patterned with costly and labour-intensive kanoko shibori. This technique entails binding small, closely spaced circles with thread so that the fabric resists the dye, creating tiny spots that resemble the dappled coat of a fawn, which can be used to great dramatic effect (figs 5 and 6). Other fashionable techniques used on fukusa include stencil-dyed dots (suri-hitta) and paste-resist dyeing (yūzen), which grew in popularity partly in response to sumptuary regulations. Like clothing, fukusa asserted the identity of their owners and were displays of refinement and decorum.

For most of the Edo period, fukusa were unknown outside Japan. This condition changed drastically in the mid-19th century. In 1854, treaties signed between Japan and the United States, Russia, Britain, France, and the Netherlands opened Japan’s ports to increased foreign trade. Large cargoes of Japanese silks, lacquerwares, metalwork, fans, and ceramics arrived on Western shores, and curio stores set up at Japanese ports catered to travellers (McDermott and Pollard, 2012, pp. 8–9). When Meiji rule was established in 1868, the government sought to transform Japan into a modern nation-state on par with Western powers. Unfettered participation in foreign trade and industry was vital to achieving this goal. Initiatives to industrialize Japan introduced new ideas and technologies from the West, revolutionizing textile production.

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‘The Japanese room in the William H. Vanderbilt House, New York’ (showing a framed *fukusa* on the wall), from *Mr. Vanderbilt’s House and Collection*
By Edward Strahan (Earl Shinn), 1883–84
Colour plate, part of 4 volumes of illustrations
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Fukusa and other embroidered silks were some of the first Japanese objects that caught the attention of foreigners (McDermott and Pollard, 2012, p. 14). They were appreciated more for their pictorial and decorative qualities than as objects used in ceremonial exchange. Paintings, photographs, and written records from the late 19th century attest to the display of ornamental textiles like fukusa in European and American interiors and to the widespread admiration of the painterly qualities of Japanese embroidery (fig. 7). For example, the Japanese art enthusiast Edmond de Goncourt remarked that fukusa were ‘paintings, actual silk paintings composed of tiny silk threads embroidered by hand [that] have no match in Europe’ (Goncourt 1898, p. 5).

The appeal of fukusa abroad gave Japanese textile merchants and the Meiji government insight into foreign consumers’ tastes. Expanding on the pictorial qualities of fukusa that had attracted Western audiences, manufacturers created new types of large, elaborate silk hangings and screens known as fine art textiles (bijutsu senshoku). Made for export, they often featured commercially successful subjects like bird and flower, landscape, or famous sites (meisho-e). Rendered with a combination of traditional Japanese and Western perspectives, fine brushwork, and delicate shading, they tapped into Western tastes for Japanese art. Within Japan, the combination of traditional themes and new techniques asserted history while projecting progress. Representing Japan at world fairs and other foreign venues, the style and motifs from these decorative silks increasingly became a national style, both overseas and at home (Sapin, 2004; McDermott, 2010). The Hall collection includes numerous fukusa that would have been admired and collected in the West, as well as new types of fukusa that emerged in this period, such as examples made with cutting-edge weaving and dyeing technologies or imported European cottons (fig. 8).

Two *fukusa* with 19th century European cotton
Japan; Meiji (1868–1912) or Taishō (1912–26) period, late 19th or early 20th century
Printed cotton; 73 x 66 cm, each
Asian Civilisations Museum, Gift of Chris Hall

By the early 20th century, fukusa were mostly supplanted by decorative silk panels and screens in the textile trade. Domestically, the use of fukusa declined around World War II. Today, they are still used in parts of Japan for events like weddings and corporate functions.

Fukusa may seem like a tradition from the distant past. However, the principles behind them relate closely to how we offer gifts today. We conceal presents with gift bags, wrapping paper, or cloth, tied with lavish ribbons, to instil a sense of propriety and anticipation. In our daily lives, we use occasion- specific emojis, stickers, and greeting cards to impart sentiments to others. This exhibition invites visitors to reflect upon the act of gifting in our own time and place, as well as the rituals and materials we engage with when we give presents to others.

‘Fukusa: Japanese Gift Covers from the Chris Hall Collection’ is on view until 25 August.

Louise Lui is Assistant Curator of Chinese Art at the Asian Civilisations Museum.

All photos are courtesy of Asian Civilisations Museum unless otherwise stated.

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Selected bibliography

Monica Bincsik, Kimono Style: Edo Traditions to Modern Design: The John C. Weber Collection, New York, 2022.

Joyce Denney, ‘Japan and the Textile Trade in Context’, in Interwoven Globe: The Worldwide Textile Trade, 1500–1800, New York, 2013, pp. 56–65.

Edmond de Goncourt, La maison d’un artiste. Paris, 1898.

Christine M. E. Guth, ‘Fukusa: From Gift Cover to Fine Art Textile’, in Fukusa: Japanese Gift Covers from the Chris Hall Collection, Singapore, 2024, pp. 12–27.

Mary V. Hays and Ralph E. Hays, Fukusa: The Shojiro Nomura Fukusa Collection, Oakland, 1983.

Kirihata Ken, Konbu’in shozō shishū kakefukusa, Kyoto, 1992.

Hiroko T. McDermott, ‘Meiji Kyoto textile art and Takashimaya’, Monumenta Nipponica 65, no. 1 (2010): 37–88.

Hiroko T. McDermott and Clare Pollard, Threads of Silk and Gold: Ornamental Textiles from Meiji Japan, Oxford, 2012.

Julia Sapin, ‘Merchandising art and identity in Meiji Japan: Kyoto nihonga artists’ designs for Takashimaya department store, 1868–1912’, Journal of Design History 17, no. 4 (2004): 317–36.

Amanda Mayer Stinchecum, ‘Kosode: Design and techniques’, in Kosode: 16th–19th century textiles from the Nomura Collection, New York, 1984, pp. 22–57.

Akihiko Takemura, Fukusa: Japanese Gift Covers, Tokyo, 1991.

Japanese Gift Covers from the Chris Hall Collection

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