This silk kobukusa of significance (meibutsu) is believed to have been the favorite of Takeno Joo (1502-1555) the master of Sen no Rikyu. The original of this cloth is used as a pouch for the oomeibutsu tea container named “Iki katatuki” chaire, “Juko bunrin” chaire, and “Sogo nasu” chaire.
Kitamura Tokusai has been making silk cloths, or fukusa, for practitioners of tea since 1712. Their elegant textiles are among the finest woven silk fabrics available in Japan and are made by highly skilled weavers in Kyoto’s historic Nishijin area. Kitamura Tokusai’s inventory of fabrics features over 400 patterns of historical significance, many of which were expressly favored by the founders and most prominent devotees of Japan’s tea culture. The Kitamura family continues to warmly welcome tea and textile enthusiasts to their Nishijin shop by hanging a fukusa, a symbol of hospitality, in the entrance.
