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Unknown Maker, Japanese

Robe Worn by a Zen Buddhist Mendicant Monk (Koromo or Jikitotsu)

Maker

Culture

Japanese

Title

Robe Worn by a Zen Buddhist Mendicant Monk (Koromo or Jikitotsu)

Year

ca. 1920-1930s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Dimensions

Center back length: 124.5 cm (49 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund

Object Number

2016.96.3

Type

Costume

Exhibition History

Repair and Design Futures

Oct 05, 2018 – Jun 30, 2019

Label copy

The Japanese mendicant monk’s robe aided its wearer, who would have been ritually mute, in communicating his role as he begged for basic earthly requirements and gave blessings in return. Patches and darns add to his message, just as they reinforce the secular Japanese work coat. An example of boro (ragged)-utilitarian items often made of valued indigo-dyed cotton-it shows both heavy wear and a loving hand that patched or added sashiko stitching to create a regenerated, strengthened whole. Though brand new, the G-Star RAW for the Oceans coat was made for similar longevity while also embedding meaning and care in its fabrication using Bionic, a yarn made from recycled plastic recovered from ocean and coastal environments. [See also 2018.40, 2012.21.1].

Designing Traditions Biennial V

Student Explorations in the Asian Textile Collection

Aug 11, 2017 – Jan 14, 2018

Image use

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Japanese

Robe Worn by a Zen Buddhist Mendicant Monk (Koromo or Jikitotsu), ca. 1920-1930s

Bast-fiber gauze weave; patched and mended

Center back length: 124.5 cm (49 inches)

Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund 2016.96.3

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