Kire' (literally "cut") originally referred to hanging scrolls or other items of appreciation which were made from the manuscript collections of waka poetry or Chinese poetry in the shape of a book or a scroll, after cutting them out.
なお、「切（きれ）」とは、元来、冊子本や巻物であった和歌集、漢詩集などの写本を、後世鑑賞用に切断して掛軸などに仕立てたものを指す。