Tabako-ire and Tonkotsu (Japanese Tobacco Containers)

Tabako-ire literally means "tobacco container"; for centuries in Japan it served as the general name for any container used to carry tobacco outside the home. In the language of collectors it now carries a narrower meaning: a soft-bodied pouch is called tabako-ire, a hard-bodied box tonkotsu.

This two-way naming is said not to have been fixed usage in Japan before the 20th century, but it has stuck among collectors because it is useful. Both containers are part of the Japanese personal smoking set and form the outdoor counterpart to the tabako-bon tray kept at home.

The Soft Pouch's Two Forms

Two main forms can be distinguished among early pouches. The drawstring-bag type gathers at the opening with a bead threaded on the cord (ojime); this form is thought to derive from the coin purse kinchaku. The lidded rectangular type is believed to descend from the hiuchi-bukuro, used for carrying flint and tinder; its lid was secured with a cord (himo) wound around the body. This second form soon took the lead and became the standard for everyday use. Inside rectangular pouches there is usually a pocket rising about halfway up the body; thought at first to have been set aside for flint-striking gear, it is said later to have been used to carry a short kiseru.

In materials, a path runs from paper toward leather. Records say the earliest pouches were made of polished paper in Kyoto in the mid-17th century; by the century's end, paper pouches had spread across the country and remained popular throughout the 18th century. As decorating paper grew more costly, leather and fabric came to the fore, becoming the dominant materials of the 19th century.