ukusa

Ukusa, also read fukusa, is a silk cloth used in the Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu). Traditionally made of silk and sized roughly 18 to 30 centimeters, it may be plain or dyed with seasonal motifs and often bears a family crest in formal settings.

In the ceremony, ukusa serves as a purification and handling cloth. It is used to wipe and purify teaware such as the natsume (tea caddy) and chaire (powder container), as well as to handle vessels during the temae (tea preparation). The cloth is also used to wrap and present wares or sweets to guests, following a prescribed sequence of folds and exchanges that signals respect and hospitality. In many schools, ukusa is used in conjunction with other cloths such as fukusa and kaishi, and the readings ukusa versus fukusa reflect tradition rather than a fixed functional difference; both terms appear in ceremonial manuals.

Beyond its practical role, ukusa carries aesthetic and ethical significance. The choice of cloth, its color and pattern, and how it is cared for express mindfulness, seasonality, and respect for participants. Folding and presenting the ukusa is part of the ceremony’s choreography and training.

See also: Fukusa; Japanese tea ceremony; Chanoyu.