Fireman's parade leather coat (kawabaori) with Ōhisa family crest, 19th century
Unknown Japaneseexpand_more
Cloth: deerskin; smoked resistexpand_more
The John R. Van Derlip Fund and the Mary Griggs Burke Endowment Fund established by the Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation; purchase from the Thomas Murray Collectionexpand_more 2019.20.120
Not on Viewexpand_more
Due to the Buddhist tenet against taking life, and also its high expense, leather was not widely used for traditional clothing in Japan. Worn in festive parades, this coat would have been owned by a chief of a volunteer firefighting brigade. The round crest reads Ōhisa 大久,likely the name of a business or merchant who commonly gave such coats to men, who then wore them as advertising. The lower half features stylized characters that are unclear apart from the first: takara 宝.
To add these designs, artists drew patterns with paper stencils, resist paste, or ink on the leather before slowly smoking it over a low fire of pine needles and rice straw. The exposed leather would turn a warm orange-brown, while protected areas would remain white.
Details
- Title
- Fireman's parade leather coat (kawabaori) with Ōhisa family crest
- Role
- Maker
- Accession Number
- 2019.20.120
- Catalogue Raisonne
- Murray et al. 2018, pl. 53
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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