Antique Fukusa, Japanese Gift Cover, Old Man on Turtle
The design on this fukusa is from the old Japanese folk tale “Urashima Taro”. The story goes like this ... one day, Taro rescues a turtle from a group of cruel children. The turtle returns later to thank him and offer him to tour the undersea world. Welcomed by the princess of a dragon palace, he spends many days wined (with sake, I suppose) and dined, forgetting the time. As he finally realizes the time and is ready to return, he is given a “Tama-te-bako” box by the princess saying “never, never open the box”. When he returns to his village, everything looks strange to him. He cannot find his family or friends. Distressed, he absent-mindedly opens the box. With a burst of smoke coming from the box, he turns into a very old man. The short time that he thought he spent in the undersea palace was actually many hundreds of years! This story has a song written for the children narrating the whole story.
Embroidered satin, stuffed and lined with deep red Chirimen crepe, beatiful condition, circa Meiji (1868-1912). Dimensions: 27" x 27"
