Why and how do we give gifts? The act of gifting is deeply ingrained and takes many forms across histories and cultures.
In Japan, the practice of formally presenting gifts with silk covers called fukusa began in the Edo period (1603–1868). These covers were draped or folded over gifts for a variety of occasions, from seasonal festivities to important personal events. Each fukusa was carefully chosen to evoke the circumstance of the gift and to convey a message to the recipient. Exquisitely embroidered, woven, painted, and dyed, they are some of the finest examples of Japanese textile artistry.
The exhibition presents a group of fukusa and related Japanese textiles from the renowned Chris Hall collection, explored through the themes of craft, trade and exchange, and the act of gifting across cultures. It celebrates a major gift of Japanese art from Chris Hall to ACM.
Fukusa with war fan and landscape - Late Edo or early Meiji period, 19th century. Embroidery, gold thread, stencil-dyed dots (suri-hitta) and paste-resist dyeing (yūzen) on figured silk satin
The composition of this fukusa is reminiscent of goshodoki (“palace landscape”) patterns reserved for the warrior class. The war fan is a reference to the owner’s military heritage. Suri-hitta dots add variety to the colourful landscape. In contrast to some yūzen-dyed textiles, in which fine details were painted with pigments at the end of the production process, the individual petals and leaf veins were created during the resist-dye process by leaving these outlines exposed in the dye bath.
Fukusa with women - Meiji period (1868–1912). Embroidery and gold thread on silk satin
This rare depiction of women at leisure is a stark contrast to the male-dominated themes on many fukusa. The activities shown include playing music, applying cosmetics, dancing, tending to bonsai, ironing, calligraphy, and enjoying tea. The fukusa may have been given to a girl or young woman, perhaps as a representation of feminine self-cultivation and virtue.
The image echoes a genre of prints known as monozukushi – exhaustive depictions of things, animals, or people. The abbreviated forms of the figures also evoke the simple style of paintings that accompanied haikus. The seal at the lower right corner is probably the name of the woodblock artist, since embroiderers seldom signed their work.
Image Credit: Peranakan Museum
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