Kitamura Tokusai is the only shop in Japan to specialize exclusively in silk fukusa, the textile traditionally worn on the waist of the host during tea preparation. The fukusa symbolizes hospitality towards the guest, and is folded in a variety of ways to be used in the ritual of purifying tea utensils in front of guests. This fine silk fukusa is of exceptional quality, easy to maintain, and is suitable for tea enthusiasts of all levels. We are delighted to be able to make these exquisite handmade textiles available to you.
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.
