A Beautifully Mended Sakabukuro: Sake Making Filter

early twentieth century
30 1/4" x 9 1/2", 77 cm x 24 cm

This is a very handsome example of a sakabukuro or sake filter as it shows beautifully applied mending stitches to the front and back of the bag. That the stitches run up the center of the front and the back of the bag in the manner that they do is unusual and has a beautiful result. 

Sakabukuro, or sake straining bags, are a wonderful class of boro textiles. Made of cotton saturated with green persimmon tannin, or kaki shibu, which gives the distinctive brown color, this utilitarian textile was used in sake making.

Crude sake, or sake lees, was placed in this bag and pressure was applied to squeeze out and filter the liquid. Repeated use required repeated mendings and we see the wonderfully odd stitches applied for this purpose.  

This is a good looking sakabukuro, and one of a quality that is becoming more and more difficult to find. 

Recommended.