Tate Slub Zudabukuro - Japanese Shoulder Bag

This blog introduces zudabukuro made of fabric using "slub yarn," which is intentionally spun with threads twisted at different strengths to make thick and thin parts on the yarn. By doing so, the fabric creates a rustic and vintage look.

Tate Slub Zudabukuro

9060 Tate Slub Zudabukuro

Features

• Made of the same fabric as the popular item, 1051 Tate Slub Samue
• Compact in size, but can hold a variety of things
• Adjustable shoulder straps for any length
• Made of high-quality cotton fabric woven in Enshu, a major cotton textile production area

What is a Zudabukuro?

Before introducing the item, I would like to give you a brief explanation of what zudabukuro is. A zudabukuro is a bag used by Buddhist monks to carry their belongings during "dhūta" (Sanskrit dhūta, meaning "to get rid of" or "to renounce"), an ascetic practice to eliminate greed for food, clothing, and shelter.

Today, in addition to being used for ascetic practices, these bags are increasingly being used by the general public as "Japanese-style shoulder bags.”

Wasuian's Zudabukuro

The following zudabukuro are available at Wasuian.

【 1 】A4 Document Size

In addition to notebooks and magazines, these are large enough to hold a wallet and a 500ml plastic bottle. This is the standard size zudabukuro.

【 2 】B4 Document Size

These items can hold a book, a tablet device, a wallet, and one samue. It has the storage capacity we recommend for a short trip.

Customers' Feedback Inspired Us for a New Size of Zudabukuro

In addition to these two types of zudabukuro, we made the Tate Slub Zudabukuro thanks to customers' feedback requesting a smaller size.

The dimensions are 24 cm in height, 20 cm in length, and 5 cm thick. We placed the 3 items here to compare the size: the bottom one is Thick Yarn Sashiko-ori Zudabukuro, the middle one is Sashiko-ori Cotton Zudabukuro, and the top one is Tate Slub Zudabukuro. The thickness is the same as the Sashiko-ori Cotton Zudabukuro, but the width is shorter than our standard items.

Tate Slub Zudabukuro is made of the same fabric as our popular Slub Series .

The rustic texture created by using "slub yarn," which is intentionally spun so that it has thick and thin sections, gives the fabric a gentle feel and makes it look as if it has been used for a long time.

How Much Can It Hold?

It looks compact, but how about its storage capacity? One of our colleagues tried to put in what he had around the office. This time, he prepared a 500ml water bottle, two paperback books, a wallet, and an iPad.

For your reference, the size of the wallet is about 11 cm of length and width and 3 cm of thickness, and the iPad is about 24 cm of length, 17 cm of width, and 0.6 cm of thickness. At a glance, he was not sure if a water bottle and an iPad would fit in it, but any way, he gave it a try. He was demonstrating this with the “navy blue” color, though we have additional colors which I will explain later.

Surprisingly, it looks as if it was made for the size. He was worried about whether or not things would fit, so he was so relieved. There is one pocket on the inside for storing small things. The size of the inside pocket is 16 cm of length and 19 cm of width.

The opening has a zipper, so there is no need to worry about things popping out.

The thickness of gusset is approximately 5 cm, so even if you put various items in it, it will not bulge out, and will fit neatly. These small size bags are good for walking around the neighborhood, since they can hold so much stuff.

How to Tie the Shoulder String?

One of the features of Wasuian's zudabukuro is that you can tie the shoulder string yourself and adjust the length. When you place an order, we will include in your package instructions on how to tie the strings, as shown in the image below, so please tie the strings accordingly.

Although most customers use the zudabukuro as a shoulder bag, it can actually be tied in this way as well. The string is folded twice, and then tied as described in the previous instructions. By doing this, the bag can also be used as a handbag.

Available in a Wide Variety of 6 Colors

As with the Tate Slub Samue, a total of six colors are available.

• The darkest and deepest of the navy blues, the classic “Japan blue” of kimono, is available.
• “Iron blue”, which is a little fresher than the usual navy blue with a slight green tinge
• A bright “Gray” that is understated, elegant, and easy to pair with many things.
• “Green”, with its subdued color leaving a calm and gentle impression.
• A warm and soft “Brown”.
• “Black”, for a chic look with a sense of luxury.

All of these colors are subtle and can be easily coordinated with various samue garments.

Enshu, A Major Cotton Textile Production Area

Vertically slubbed fabric, which uses uneven slub yarn for the warp threads, and has a rich expression and unique look, is woven in Enshu (Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture), which is known as a major cotton textile production center. (The fabrics for the "Sashiko-ori" and "Thick Yarn Sashiko-ori" bags introduced earlier are also woven in Enshu.)

Enshu is the area around Hamamatsu City in what is now western Shizuoka Prefecture. The Enshu area sits on the Tenryu River, which flows from its source in Nagano Prefecture, and receives the dry winds of Enshu, making the climate very suitable for the production of cotton products. Enshu cotton has been woven since the Edo period. The abundant sunshine, water resources, and mild climate produced high-quality cotton, attracted spinning companies that produced yarn for fabrics, and resulted in Enshu becoming a major cotton textile production center through friendly competition among Enshu weavers using high-quality yarn.

In Hamamatsu, the center of Enshu, people have been growing cotton in their own fields and making their own kimonos for as long as cotton production has existed there. There is a history that Enshu's cotton products have grown not as upper class clothing, but as products worn by the common people. That is why these cotton fabrics are now being reevaluated as clothing for everyday wear, with a wide range of variations to match the season, and its gentle touch.

The Enshu production area handles a wide variety of fabrics, from small to wide woven fabrics. Enshu has one of the largest fleets of shuttle looms in Japan, and although they are less productive than the latest looms, they are capable of producing a level of quality that cannot be achieved by machines that prioritize efficiency. Even today, the Enshu weaving technique is being passed down to the next generation, maintaining a production center for high quality cotton fabrics using traditional and advanced techniques.