Envelope - Futo

A bag for enclosing letters and documents. Also called a "tsumochi bag." Envelopes are divided into Western and Japanese envelopes depending on the quality of the paper. Many Japanese envelopes are beautifully made with a special paper weaving, and famous examples include Inshu's Usukuchi, Tosa's Shozuki, and Echizen's Hosho, and these products are also full of elegance. With the implementation and spread of the postal system, there was a gradual shift from Japanese envelopes to Western envelopes, and now Japanese envelopes are only used by a select few who have a taste for elegance. This is largely due to the influence of the change in writing implements from brushes to hard pens.

Currently, there are 16 types of envelopes, ranging from size 1 to size 16, and they are divided into oblong, square, and Western-style depending on their shape. They are also divided into regular envelopes and airmail envelopes depending on their purpose, and into windowless envelopes and windowed envelopes depending on whether they have a window or not.

[Matsuo Nozawa]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

書状や書類を封入するための袋。状袋ともいう。紙質により洋封筒と和封筒に分けられる。和封筒は特種な漉(す)き込みをした美しいものが多く、因州の薄口(うすくち)、土佐の抄漉(しょうず)き、越前(えちぜん)の奉書などが有名だが、その製品も気品に富んでいる。郵便制度の実施と普及に伴い、しだいに和封筒から洋封筒へと移行し、現在では和封筒は一部の風流好みの人たちに愛用されるにすぎなくなった。これは、筆記具が毛筆から硬筆に変わってきた影響も大きい。

　封筒の種類は現在1～16号まであり、形によって長形、角形、洋形に分けられるが、そのほか用途によっては普通封筒とエアメール用封筒、窓の有無によって窓無し封筒と窓付き封筒に分けられる。

［野沢松男］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例