Grandmother's Fukusa

I have inherited a pair of fukusa, a silk cloth depicting the artistic endeavors of the aristocracy. The cloths were draped over bridal gifts for my grandmother's marriage to Toragoro, scion of the Kimura family, a well-established Osaka merchant. My grandmother had eleven children and widowed by the time she was in her early forties, so I very much doubt that she had time to indulge in poetry, calligraphy, or flower arrangement. I wonder if the fine ladies and gents hanging in our living room are amused, or appalled, by our mundane and pedestrian cultural tastes. Such is life in the 21st century.

#night #tuesday #family #march #grandmother #gift-wrapping #japanese-culture #fukusa #familystoriesily