A Pieced Cotton Drawstring Bag: Flour Sack Lining

early to mid twentieth century
12" x 8" x 8", 30.5 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm

This lovely drawstring bag is hand sewn from about 16 pieces of commercially produced Japanese cottons, some of which are printed with flower motifs.

The bag is lined with cotton fragments from some kind of sack or bag, probably one for flour or sugar.

The brightly colored bag is of a nice size and the cotton is in good condition save for a few smudges, a bit of fading and a very slight stain.  The cotton drawstring seems original to the bag.

This kind of piece-constructed, drawstring bag is often referred to as a komebukuro.  Komebukuro are bags that were used to bring token offerings of uncooked rice or beans to a temple or shrine festival, the piecing and patching often being thought-out and planned, for festive effect.  

This particular bag may or may not be this kind of bag--it may have been intended to be used as an "everyday" or utilitarian bag--but its appeal is instant and it is a really lovely thing.

A marvelous bag, and object that recalls the spirit of old Japan.