Folded noshi

熨斗 noshi

Folded noshi

A long hexagonal paper fold holding a strip of dried abalone; attached to gifts as a token of good fortune and long life.

Muromachi-period samurai gift etiquette; abalone offering custom

A noshi is a folded paper decoration that originally wrapped a strip of dried, stretched abalone (noshi-awabi), a food offering that stood for long life. The Ogasawara and Ise schools set rules for attaching noshi to gifts at feasts and weddings, and a 1731 Sukenobu print shows one. Over time the abalone was replaced by a strip of yellow paper, and noshi became a small printed symbol.

Printed noshi on gift paper (noshigami) mark celebratory gifts today; they are left off condolence gifts and gifts of fish or meat.

Technique catalog · draft for review

Every way to wrap, carry and wear a furoshiki.

The furoshiki.com archive, sliced into annotated steps with plain directions, plus techniques found in research.