Unknown Maker, Japanese

This campaign coat is majestic in its use of luxuriant colors and patterns. Many of the motifs employed, such as the hexagons and the wheels, may bear talismanic meanings. The bold geometric Shinto designs decorating the back bleed into the front, adding to the garment’s drama.

High-ranking warriors wore jinbaori over their armor for extra protection. By the 1800s, as daimyos assumed more administrative roles and placed more emphasis on arts and culture, these coats became symbols of status and power, as well as statements of personal aesthetics.

The jimbaori coat, based on a European prototype, originated in the 16th century as a garment to be worn by samurai over their armor. By the 19th century, when peacetime led to a more administrative role for samurai, the jimbaori developed into a symbol of status and power, as well as a statement of personal aesthetics and beliefs.

The red wool in this coat and also the gold-wrapped yarn have strong connotations of vigor and luxury. This fabric, called rasha, was imported from Europe and was especially prized for the cochineal-dyed red color, which was impossible to obtain from Japanese dyestuffs. The design on the back of the coat showing a paper streamer (gohei) and a length of rope (shimenawa)-both important aspects of Shinto religion rituals-proclaims the owner’s spiritual and political values.