Spoon Pouch

This is a pouch used to store or carry personal spoons and chopsticks separately. It is large enough to hold two sets of spoon and chopsticks for a man and a woman. The upper part is slightly folded down and sewn up with the stitches exposed to make a lip, which is adorned with decorations such as a tassel. A spoon pouch was generally made of silk, often scarlet foreign satin, satin, or Chinese silk embroidered with Ten Longevity Symbols, auspicious motifs and letters, or flowers and birds’ motifs, and calico or starched paper was inserted within as lining. Motifs such as a peony blossom, a lotus flower and small birds are embroidered on the front, and auspicious letters or expressions such as “壽 (longevity),” “福 (good fortune),” “富貴多男子 (wealth and many sons)” are generally embroidered on the back. Since a spoon and chopsticks symbolize life, such auspicious motifs and letters or expressions are embroidered on spoon pouches to wish for good fortune. Women often had to prepare a spoon pouch as part of the dowry.