Festival robe of blue plain weave cotton with polychrome resist-dyed decoration, Japan, 1900-1930

Plain weave blue cotton maiwai (celebratory robe, worn by a fisherman) with a bold marine design of a sail boat and a dragon boat laden with lucky motifs and messages across the lower back of the garment and partially extending round the front. One of the passengers in the boat is Ebisu - a Japanese deity of good fortune. Across the centre back seam at the top is a flying crane bearing a name - probably that of the ship on which the original wearer worked - in a circle.
The designs are executed in a polychrome resist-dyeing technique applied using a stencil (katazome).
The garment is lined throughout with a dark blue plain weave cotton and the end of the sleeves are faced with black ribbed silk. There is long and short stitching in white cotton thread along the centre front edges below the collar band, around the hem, and around the sleeve opening. The garment has been tucked and sewn at waist level, the tuck at the back being higher than that at the front.

Purchased. Registered File number 1982/1022.

This exuberantly decorated garment is known as a ‘maiwai’, which means 'ten thousand congratulations'. It would have been worn by a Japanese fisherman on the coast of the Bôsô peninsula near Tokyo on New Year's Day and other festive occasions. Maiwai are decorated with colourful sea motifs and auspicious symbols. This robe depicts two of the seven gods of good fortune in treasure ships. Overhead, a crane flies carrying a banner bearing the name of the ship on which the fisherman worked.

FE.102-1982