IIIF Manifest Joku is the name for matting used for several purposes, including spreading on a desk to put the donated treasures on. As some sumi-ink inscriptions, such as hanadukue-joku (joku for desks for sutras and other Buddhist altar equipments), kyoudai joku (joku for sutra stands) and kouza (seat for lecturers), indicate, joku-s were sometimes made for desks, and sometimes for persons to sit on. Those joku-s use different materials for the filling according to the purposes. Those made to spread on objects, e.g., desks, use the woven mat(s) of soft rush or hemp cloth as the filling material. Colorful Japanese brocade is usually used as the front-side cloth, but there are some cases where fabrics with a twill weave are used instead. Dyed fabrics such as kyoukechi (textiles dyed by carved block resist) are also sometimes used. In many cases, koukechi (textiles dyed by bound resist) plain silk is used for the backside. The shape is usually rectangular, but there are also square and round ones. In Shosoin, there is an octagonal one made to fit the shape of the stand for donated treasures. Among these joku with different shapes, rectangular, square, round, and others, there are some with another characteristic; they have a frame made with another piece of cloth around the matting.
This joku is in fairly poor condition, with many stains and damages on the burnt part of the twill weave fabric and torn fragments scattered across many portions. The filling is the two sheets of hemp cloth put one on top of the other, covered with thin floss on both sides. The front side is a twill-weave fabric with an arabesque pattern. This joku has a frame, made also with the same twill-weave fabric. The backside is green koukechi plain silk with meyui-mon (white-dotted pattern) crafted with the shibori (tie-dye) technique of dyeing.
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