MUSUBI × COCHAE – Furoshiki 70 cm – Japanese Folktales - Yokai: The Monsters’ Night Parade Black

A playful and slightly mysterious Japanese organic cotton furoshiki filled with yōkai, designed by COCHAE for MUSUBI.

The design is inspired by Hyakki Yagyō (百鬼夜行), the “Night Parade of One Hundred Demons”, an old Japanese folkloric tradition imagining supernatural creatures gathering together and parading through the streets at night. COCHAE turns this eerie procession into a lively black furoshiki populated by 22 different yōkai, each drawn with its characteristic humour and expressive style.

What are yōkai?

Yōkai are supernatural beings from Japanese folklore. The term covers a remarkably varied world of spirits, monsters and strange creatures, ranging from frightening apparitions to mischievous or even humorous characters. Many are associated with animals, natural phenomena or ordinary objects, while others have been passed down through local legends for generations.

Among those represented here are Gashadokuro, a gigantic skeleton formed from the resentment of people who died in suffering; Karakasa Kozō, an old umbrella transformed into a one-legged mischievous spirit; and Ōkamuro, a giant child-like head that appears to frighten people.

Look more closely and you can discover many others, including Kappa, Nekomata, Tengu, Rokurokubi, Hitotsume Kozō, Ningyo, Azuki Arai and Akaname. MUSUBI's official material lists all 22 creatures represented in the design.

The result is a furoshiki that can be enjoyed almost like an illustrated map of Japanese supernatural folklore: spread it out to search for the different creatures, or fold and tie it so that large yōkai faces emerge on the wrapped object.

How to use

At 70 × 70 cm, it can be used as a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth for gift boxes, books, bottles and everyday belongings, or tied into a small reusable bag.

Try wrapping it in different directions to bring different yōkai to the front. MUSUBI specifically designed the pattern so that some of the larger monster faces become particularly striking once the cloth is tied. When not in use, it folds flat and can be reused again and again.

Details

• Approx. 70 × 70 cm
• 100% organic cotton
• Made in Japan