An Edo Period Samurai Travel Coat: Cotton and Kudzu

**reduced from $195.00**
mid nineteenth century
34" x 48", 86.5 cm x 122 cm

This beautifully tailored, traditionally styled overcoat for Japan's elite class is hand woven from what is said to be a combination of kudzu fiber and cotton.

It is not uncommon for these traveling coats to be woven from kudzu or kuzu as this was a fiber often worn by the upper classes in Japan.  

Kuzufu is a luxury cloth: it is beautifully glossy, takes dye well, keeps a fine crease, is lightweight, breathes well in summer, dries quickly after rain, and, ultimately, is a very elegant cloth.

This one is in good but flawed condition and its cloth feels more like cotton than the bast fiber kuzufu or kudzu cloth: the hand braided himo or braided ties are all intact as are the fixtures and clasps.  However, please note that the slits in the coat on both front and back are torn: it was through this slit that the wearer's sword would have been passed while he was wearing it.

The color is fine and very deep; it is a dark grey-green.  The collar area shows distinct areas loss and wear.

A fine and lovely 19th century, hand stitched garment--still very wearable, and certainly collectible.

Beautiful and very recommended.