Kake-mamori (amulet case) - cross posted to sca_garb, dress_diaries, sca_silk road

[gurdymonkey]

Recently the question came up on the Tousando forum as to how people carried personal items at events while portraying a Japanese. My latest project can be seen here: http://www.wodefordhall.com/kake.htm

I am firmly convinced that in Japan, there is no sartorial problem that cannot be solved with a random piece of fabric, However, I wanted to make sure that nobody came after me crying, "I lost my car keys because of you!" This is why my design incorporates an anachronistic piece of cardboard tubing to assist it in maintaining some sort of structural integrity.

EDIT: Response on sca-jml@yahoogroups.com and the Tousando indicates I may be in the process of setting a new "fashion trend." 
 

Comments

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

Not being able to actually examine one means I honestly don't know. Most Japanese traditionally solved the problem of carrying personal belongings by wrapping them in a piece of cloth. (Check out this link - you can wrap practically anything this way: http://furoshiki.com/techniques.php )
In this instance, it may very well simply be a rolled cloth bound with cord at either end.

They didn't have buckram, but they did have hemp and ramie (both bast fibers) and silk in a surprising number of weaves and weights, and something with a heavy weave would give a bundle body. They also had papermaking skills, so maybe my bit of cardboard isn't completely whacked after all.

As for scrolls, they'd usually be silk or paper mounted on silk, rolled on a wooden dowel and tied with a cord. They could be stored on shelves, though they might also be kept in a box. Modern scroll boxes are usually made of pawlonia, a native wood that is very light and strong.