1. Wrapping in Japan
●What two things helped the Japanese to develop its wrapping culture?
●When did wrapping presents with washi become widely popular?
●How did people use furoshiki after bathing in the mid-Edo period?
Words
Tenderly(副)優しく、親切に
Conscientiously(副)良心的に
Detail(名)細部、細目
Right down(副)に至るまで
Be derived from(動)に由来する。
Pictogram(名)図像
Pregnant(形)妊娠した
Sense(名)感覚、意味
Motherhood(名)母性
Come with(動)存在する
The Japanese(名)日本人
Via(前)～経由で
Increase(動)ふえる
Quality(名)質
Improve(動)改良する、改善する
Available(形)利用できる
Upper(形)上のほうの
Establish(動)設立する
Fold(動)折る
Protect(動)保護する
Impurity(名)不潔、不純
Purity(名)純粋、清浄
Ordinary(副)普通の
Moreover(副)そのうえ、さらに
Countless(形)数え切れない、無数の
Suggest(動)提案する
Remain(動)残る、～のままだ
Thus(副)このように
Noble(名)貴族
Crest(名)紋章
Literally(副)文字どおりに
Spread(動) 広げる
Toiletry(名)化粧品
Commerce(名)商業
Mere(形)ほんの
Decline(動)断る、衰える
Revive(動)生き返る
tend to(熟)～する傾向がある
knot(名)結び目
once(接)ひとたび～すれば
require(動)必要だ
adopt(動)採用する
play a role(熟)役割を果たす
2. Translation
(1) It is said that giving a gift is like wrapping one’s heart.
(2) Its Kanji character is derived from a Chinese pictogram of a pregnant woman with a
baby inside her.
(3) However, they both helped the Japanese to develop a rich wrapping culture.
(4) As paper production increased, quality of paper also improved dramatically.
(5) They established special ways of folding paper in order to wrap up gifts.
(6) Using such paper to wrap presents became popular among the ordinary people.
(7) Some of the traditional ways of folding paper still remain today.
(8) Such tradition suggests that the gifts should be protected from anything unclean.
(9) Some treasure items in Shosoin show that pieces of cloth were used to wrap up gifts.
(10) The connection between such wrapping cloth and a bath started in the
Muromachi period.
(11) As commerce grew, the use of the cloth to wrap and carry items spread quickly.
(12) As you can probably see, the cloth suggests a cycle.
(13) Once the knot is untied and the cloth is spread open, the original form, a simple
cloth, returns.
(14) Consider the role it might play in your own life.
(15) Adopting the old ways of wrapping helps us to bring both beauty and eco-
friendly ways into our daily practice.
