Lot 95
East Asia, Japan, ca. early 20th Century CE. A heavy, multi-layered cotton (sashiko) fire hat covered with indigo blue embroidered stitches with red and blue cloth ties, used by Japanese firefighter for protection, designed to expose only the eyes and protect the top of the head, face, and upper chest. Hats like this, along with jackets (hanten), sock-like footwear, gloves, and pants were soaked in water prior to a firefighting outing. The garments are oftentimes decorated with heroes, dragons, or other mythical beings associated with bravery and water. In this example, areas of the cap-like upper section, face covering, and back flap are decorated with dragon and flame-like motifs. Size: 20.5" L x 9" in diameter (52.1 cm x 22.9 cm)
According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art curatorial team, "Traditional Japanese houses were made of wood, bamboo, and paper, and in crowded cities like the capital Edo (present day Tokyo), the houses were built with little or no space in between which made them prone to fires. Over the centuries Edo was ravaged by a series of great and devastating fires. The citizens called the fires 'Edo no hana' or 'flowers of Edo,' most of which broke out during the dry winter season when people heated their homes with charcoal. Edo (16151868) and Meiji (18681912) period Japanese firefighters were equipped with heavy, multi-layer indigo-dyed cotton (sashiko) jackets (hanten), sock-like footwear, gloves, trousers, and hats, such as this work, for their protection." (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/738459)
Provenance: private Poos collection, Overland Park, Kansas, USA; purchased from private collection in 2017 - One of the largest privately held quilt and textile collections in the world, the Poos Collection has evolved over 50 years and through extensive travels to allow for original or point of source acquisition. The collection includes international textiles and garments with an emphasis on West African textiles such as adire, aso oke, kente, and ewe woven prestige cloths as well as East Asian textile works like this example.
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#145910
- Condition: Some stitches joining cloth ties to hat are loose or missing. Fading to the decorative motifs commensurate with age. Otherwise very good.
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