【Reading】きょうぎ

【English Name】Kyogi / Thin wood sheet

Kyogi is a thin board shaved from coniferous trees such as cedar (sugi) and cypress (hinoki). By thickness it is divided into atsuzuki (0.5–1.0 mm), usuzuki (0.1–0.3 mm), and kaishiki (0.05–0.1 mm). It was used as a wrapping material from the Yamato period, and the name is said to derive from its use for copying sutras (kyo), which came with the transmission of Buddhism. It was a standard for food wrapping until around 1955, but with the spread of polyethylene and styrene containers it was almost entirely replaced around 1985. It is still used in the wooden boxes (oribako) for sushi and bento, and has the effect of suppressing the stickiness of rice through its moisture absorbency. In its use as a wrapping material it is also read "hegi." In recent years, reappraisal has been progressing amid the trend toward reducing plastic.