Each piece of kohitsu constituted a scroll or a book, but became to be divided into parts, with each part owned by someone, and each of these parts became to be called kohitsu-gire ("gire" meaning "being cut").
もともと古筆は巻物や帖であったが、それを切断して収蔵するようになり、それぞれを古筆切（こひつぎれ）と呼ぶようになった。