This is a striking antique Japanese fireman's jacket - hikeshi banten. The coat is made from multiple layers of cotton held together with upwards of 100 stitches per square inch.

Typically these jackets were soaked before firemen ran into a fire. The heavy weight cotton used for this jacket was meant to absorb a good deal of water and served to protect the wearer from the flames.

This piece features stenciled paste-resist dying (katazome), free-hand paste-resist dyeing (tsutsugaki), and hand painted pigment (tegaki) on plain-weave cotton with cotton-thread quilting stitches on a rather rare brown ground.

The inside of this jacket is made of a kakishibu dyed cotton (persimmon tannin) which results in the amber colored cloth.

In excellent condition without rip or tears. Some minor areas of soiling but nothing that distracts from the aesthetic appearance.

Early 1900's Dimensions: Length: 36"; Width: 51

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