basket wrapped in paper, bark, or skin
A traditional container made by wrapping a basket with paper, bark, or animal skin. Often used for carrying or storing items.
Travelers in the old days carried their clothes in a kawago.
This kawago is made by pasting Japanese paper onto a basket woven from bark.
Alternate spelling using 革 (leather). Both are used.
Compound of 皮 (kawa, 'skin, hide, leather') and 籠 (ko, 'basket'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word describes a basket covered with animal skin, bark, or paper.