Masu (Japanese)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A masu was originally a square wooden box used to measure rice in Japan during the feudal period. Though small by today's standards, one masu was supposed to be enough rice to feed a working man for one day. In a related measurement standard, one Koku is enough rice to feed a working man for one year. Its volume is exactly 180ml (6 oz).
This iconic image eventually lent its name to the seats in kabuki and bunraku theaters. These seats are demarcated by wooden beams laid out in a grid, making each seat reminiscent of a masu used for measuring rice.
Today masu are largely used for drinking sake as the advent of modern rice cookers and a higher calorie diet in Japan has made them impractical for measuring portions of rice.
[edit] Origami
There is an origami object that is called a "Masu Box" that can be created from a perfectly square piece of paper using the following instructions:
| Step 01 | Step 02 | Step 03 | Step 04 | Step 05 |
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| Crease and Return | Fold tops to centre, this is called a blinz fold after a Jewish pastry | Fold sides to centre and return | Open two corners | Fold sides to centre |
| Step 06 | Step 07 | Step 08 | Step 09 | Step 10 |
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| Lift both sides and one end of the model so it becomes 3D | Fold flap to centre | raise end | Fold flap to centre | Complete |
