A Stamped Hemp Pilgrim's Coat: Buddhist Temple Stamps

$245.00 USD

early to mid twentieth century
40" x 50", 101.5 cm x 127 cm

This is a completely hand stitched jacket made of woven, hemp fiber cloth

It is the type of jacket worn by Buddhist pilgrims as they travel a prescribed pilgrimage route and as they make their way from one temple to the other along the route.

Often, especially in the old days, this pilgrimage was done on foot and was an arduous and time-consuming act of devotion.

At each temple visited a red stamp(s) particular to that temple would be imprinted directly onto the coat. In this case we see just a few of these. Important to note are the hand-drawn, black charcoal ink-based bonji or Sanskrit seed syllables which can be seen on the front and the back of the coat.

The coat shows a fair amount of wear and as is quite obvious there are water stains on the jacket which are detailed on the accompanying photographs.

This is quite nice hemp cloth pilgrim's coat, lightly worn and lightly stamped. One can only imagine the personal history contained within the threads of his ohenrogi or pilgrim garb.

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