are a type of Japanese textile used for gift-wrapping or for purifying equipment during a Japanese tea ceremony. are square or almost square pieces of lined fabric ranging in size from about 9- along one side. They are typically made of fine silk, and may be decorated with embroidery in auspicious designs.
The use of as a way of presenting gifts has mostly died out, lingering instead mainly in certain ritual exchanges of gifts during weddings in a few regions of Japan.
Traditionally in Japan, gifts were placed in boxes or on a wooden or lacquered tray, over which a would be draped. The choice of a appropriate to the occasion was considered an important part of the gift itself, and part of its formality. The practice of covering a gift became widespread during the Edo period (1603-1867).
The scene or motifs depicted on are chosen to indicate either the occasion for which the gift is being given, or because they are appropriate for one of the annual festivals when gifts are exchanged. The richness of the decoration of the attests to the giver's wealth and aesthetics.
Once a gift was exchanged, after being admired, the and box or tray presented with the gift are typically returned to the gift's original giver. However, before the Meiji Restoration, when gifts were presented to a high official, the was not always returned. This was one of many subtle devices used to control the wealth of the aristocratic and samurai classes.
The practice of covering a gift became widespread during the Edo period (1603-1867). In the Edo period, textiles, which had long been an integral part of Japanese art, were developed further through the rising wealth of the merchant classes, whose disposable income allowed them to imitate the upper classes through the patronage of textile artists, dyers and embroiderers. Unlike Western art, Japanese art did not arbitrarily divide between fine arts and decorative arts, and a number of eminent artists were commissioned to design textiles, including ; however, artists seldom signed their work.
In the first part of the 18th century, the typical decoration of a reflected the tastes of the aristocracy. The subtle cultural references inherent in their designs would be recognizable only to the educated members of the upper classes, who lived and exchanged gifts in the cities of Kyoto and Edo (modern-day Tokyo) and their surrounding areas.
By the 19th century, the merchant classes of Japan had begun to move up the social ladder in terms of wealth and artistic influence, and adopted many customs of the aristocracy with their new-found wealth, including the custom of gift-giving with .
Today, are rarely used, and when they are it is almost exclusively around Tokyo and Kyoto for gifts given at the time of marriage.
Satin silk was the preferred fabric for embroidered, which often made extensive couched gold- and silver-wrapped thread. As paste-resist dyeing became popular, crepe silk (or) was favored. Tapestry-weave fabrics such as were also popular, as was the use of weft brocade .
By the 19th century, family crests, or, were added on the lining side of the beginning in the late 18th century, and tassels were placed at each corner so that the could be picked up without touching the fabric.
See main article: List of Japanese tea ceremony equipment. Several variants of are also used in Japanese tea ceremony. Tea ceremony are always made of silk.