#obacco pouch

[tanuki-kimono]

Fukuro mono (嚢物) purses and bags, chart by Nadeshico Rin.

Kimono don’t have pocket in the Western sense, and the easiest way of carrying something is to tuck it into your tamoto (袂, dangling pocket-like part of a kimono sleeve). But people also used many types of pouchesand cases to carry their trinkets, here are some which were used by Edo period city-deller women:

Kakemamori (懸守) amulet case, made from a cylindrical pouch slipped on a cord. In Middle Age, those pouches were put around the neck by pilgrims, mostly women, to carry gofu (talisman). Temples and sanctuaries sold amulets to facilitate childbirth, and counteract menstruation impurity (月水を穢), which was (still is nowadays) a big taboo in Japanese society. Other amulets existed, for example to protect one’s safety, or to ward off disasters. Kakemamori went through style changes but their use remained late into Meiji era.

Sage tabako ire (提げ煙草入れ) hanging tobacco pouch, put on by tucking the netsuke (根付 decorative toggle) into the obi, and adjusted with ojime (緒締, decorative closing bead). They were paired with kiseru 煙管 pipes, put away in tsutsu 筒 cases. Those pouches were used by men and women alike.

Tamoto otoshi (袂落とし) pocket sleeve pouches, put on around the neck over the underlayer, and accessed through the kimono sleeves openings. Several types existed, like kamiire ( 紙入れ small handbag, wallet), or straps holding handy tenugui towels. Those convenient pouches were used by men and women alike.

Kagami ire (鏡入れ) make-up pouch, often decorated with a hana kusari (華鎖, dangling charm), and holding several portable items: hake (刷毛, make-up brush), beni fude  (紅筆, lipstick brush​), beni ita (紅板, lipstick palette, the green hue is the mark of true safflower), oshiroi (白粉, face powder), tekagami (手鏡, handmirror), etc. Tbh, I found hard to distinguish modern kagamiire from hakoseko without being able to open them and check to content, especially as they can be a bit of both ^^;

Hakoseko (箱迫) women billfold-like clutch, slipped into the futokoro (bosom collar fold when a kimono is worn, just above a woman obi). Made from heavily decorated brocade, those were first used by women of the samurai class to carry kaishi (懐紙, tissue paper) and other small items like birabira kanzashi (びらびら簪, dangling hairpin) or nioi fukuro (匂い袋, perfume bag). Nowadays, those are mainly used for wedding or shichigosan attires.

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