The other day, a friend of mine emailed a very interesting article titled “Buddhism, Like Furoshiki, Is Adaptable.” In this, Alfred Bloom, an emeritus professor of religion at University of Hawaii, says that the furoshiki is a good representation of Buddhism. That’s because it’s square (with all that entails, such as the connotation of completeness and fullness) but otherwise:

It can be made of a variety of materials, such as silk, cotton, rayon and nylon, and it can be variously decorated. Likewise, there are many forms and expressions of Buddhism. They each have a message for modern people, but all have the essential or core teachings. Despite the diversity of Buddhist traditions, they are all bound together by certain basic principles focused on the teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha’s enlightenment, such as the four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path of Discipline, the Middle Path between extremes of bodily mortification and pleasure, the principle of dependent co-arising and the concept of no-soul, or emptiness … Like the furoshiki, Buddhism is adaptable. Whatever the size or shape of the object, the furoshiki can enfold it. Similarly, Buddhism adapts to individuals. It is said in the tradition that there are 84,000 teachings. There is something whereby each person can reach spiritual fulfillment.

Well, that seemed reasonable enough, but unlike most people on this site, I had never heard of furoshiki before and wondered what the heck it was, exactly. There’s a good summary in Wikipedia, that explained:

Furoshiki are a type of traditional Japanese wrapping cloth that were frequently used to transport clothes, gifts, or other goods. Although possibly dating back as far as the Nara period, the name, meaning “bath spread”, derives from the Edo period practice of using them to bundle clothes while at the sento. Before becoming associated with public baths, furoshiki was known as hiradzutsumi, or flat folded bundle. Eventually, the furoshiki’s usage extended to serve as a means for merchants to transport their wares or to protect and decorate a gift.

It turns out that there is a Japan Furoshiki Society whose Web site has lots of pictures and sells them too. But “although there are still furoshiki users in Japan, their numbers declined in the post-war period, in large part due to the proliferation of the plastic shopping bag. In recent years, it has seen a renewed interest as environmental protection became a concern.”

In fact, last Spring the Japanese Minister of the Environment, Yuriko Koike, created the “Mottainai Furoshiki” to promote its use in reducing waste in the modern world. Because of all those reji-bukuro you see. This furoshiki is made of “a fiber manufactured from recycled PET bottles, and has a birds-and-flowers motif drawn by Itoh Jakuchu, a painter of the mid-Edo era.” Obviously a good idea, reducing waste while promoting Japanese culture. Their Web site has detailed instructions on how to fold and use it. As the Minister points out:

The furoshiki is so handy that you can wrap almost anything in it regardless of size or shape with a little ingenuity by simply folding it in a right way. It’s much better than plastic bags you receive at supermarkets or wrapping paper, since it’s highly resistant, reusable and multipurpose. In fact, it’s one of the symbols of traditional Japanese culture, and puts an accent on taking care of things and avoiding wastes.

It’s not clear whether this government initiative is catching on or not, but one disturbing fact is that no furoshiki can be found on J-List, although some of their affiliates do carry them and the sort-of related bento boxes can be found in the J-List catalog.

However, now the whole picture begins to fall into place. The furoshiki is said to have been first used in the Muromachi Period (1392-1573) but like they say, “you’ve come a long way baby.”

I recall Shizuku in Miyazaki’s Whisper of the Heart being scolded by her mother for accepting a bag at the convenience store when there was no real need for it. And you will recall a post here by JP about the “No! Reji-bukuro Bra.” This is clearly the ultimate evolution of furoshiki and the contemporary answer to what appears to be a widespread problem:

Triumph International’s “No! Reji-bukuro Bra” is designed to encourage people to shun plastic bags (reji-bukuro) when shopping in accordance with recently enacted Japanese legislation. According to Triumph’s press release, Japan uses some 30 billion reji-bukuro a year, approximately 30% of which are discarded after a single use.

Remember that earlier they said furoshiki can easily be folded and kept in a purse until needed. What’s the difference if the wearer has built-in shopping bags that when not in use, fold into the cups as padding? Therefore, this is clearly the ultimate evolution of an ancient solution to a common problem. The guy thing may be an issue but otherwise I hope I have interpreted all this correctly: furoshiki is like Buddhism but ultimately developed into square underwear that reduces waste?

Via Deborah