The Art of 包み ‘Tsutsumi’

26 Sep 2007 1 Comment

by madsilence in Advertising, Art History, Cultural Preservation, Ephemera, Japan, Japanese Culture, Reviews Tags: Art

 

Three-day weekends are the best part of September!  I’ve been using them to hit all the Kanazawa museums (and there certainly are a lot! 21^st Century Art Museum, Noh Museum, Phonograph Museum, Old Toy Museum, Prefectural Art Museum, Prefectural History Museum, Honda Museum… I could go on and on…).  The highlight of this past weekend was the 21^st Century Museum of Art’s display on 包み紙, tsutsumigami, or wrapping paper.

Tsutsumi itself is an interesting word – as a noun it means ‘wrapping’, as a verb ‘to wrap’ and in the word こつずみ, cotsuzumi, it means ‘package.’  Wrapping in itself is an art in Japan – furoshiki (gift cloths) and elaborate paper-and-cord constructions show the time and care invested by the giver.  Unlike the West, it’s never acceptable to rip the wrapping off a package.  As much time is given to opening as is given to wrapping.

 

The tsutsumigami exhibit at the 21^st Century Museum featured commercial pieces from local stores spanning 90 years.  Pieces from the late 1890’s and early 1900’s were smaller, printed in one color, and did double duty as advertisement and catalogue for its store.  As time went by tsutsumigami kept their prominent store logos but became more elaborate and ‘designed,’ attracting potential customers through bold colors and geometric designs that drew the eye as well as making the store’s wares perfectly clear.

Tsutsumigami design depends greatly on the goods they wrap.  For traditional sweet shops with discerning customers there were elegant patterns with tops and bottoms so that pictures would be properly displayed when wrapped around a standard sized box.  For stores with a whirlwind of differently shaped goods there were colorful full-spread designs without a top or bottom allowing good exposure no matter what the product.  For Western-style shops were motifs of European architecture and towering wedding cakes as well as Christmas designs.  Food omiyage (boxes of small local delicacies to be given to people at home after a trip) were embellished with local landmarks and romantic depictions of the snacks they contained.

The Golden Era of tsutsumigami was in the mid-20^th century, when stores might have gone through several designs a year.  Some tsutsumi were created by owners and employees but as time went on famous artists were invited to expend their creativity, bringing an extra sense of sophistication and glamour to carefully wrapped products.  The beauty and availability of tsutsumigami at the time led to a decoupage boom in the local arts and crafts community. 

While tsutsumigami still holds its place in Japanese stores, it’s mostly limited to highly traditional occasions, stores and of course the ubiquitous omiyage.  It’s death knell was rung by the introduction of the plastic shopping bag and eco-awareness (apparently more plastic bags = less waste?  I’m not sure that really works out in the end @_@) but is still fondly remembered for its charm and nostalgic feel here in Japan.

~CAB

Some more interesting wrapping links:

• Former Prime Minister Koizumi speaks of reviving furoshiki as eco-friendly alternative.
• How-to on wrapping Japanese style
• The art of mizuhiki, tying paper cord
• The Hiragana Times on furoshiki