noun
kobukusa; silk tea ceremony cloth
A small, high-quality silk cloth used in Japanese tea ceremony to handle tea utensils or as a decorative base. Typically about 16 cm square.
茶道では、古帛紗をたたんで懐に入れておきます。
In tea ceremony, you fold the kobukusa and keep it inside the front of your kimono.
濃茶をいただくとき、古帛紗の上に茶碗が置かれます。
When drinking thick tea, the tea bowl is placed on a kobukusa.
From 古 (old) or 小 (small) + 帛紗 (silk cloth). The exact origin is uncertain; it is a specialized term within tea ceremony.