A Pair of Hand Stitched Semamori: Amulets

early twentieth century
each one approximately 3" x 3", 7.5 cm x 7.5 cm

In Japan, there is a certain magic associated with stitching: the very act of enclosing a body in cloth is rich in meaning and stitching a garment closed has power in it.

It is no wonder that stitches applied to children’s garments are done so intentionally, and that they are meant to protect the child from harm.

These protective stitches are called semamori, and offered here today is a pair of two semamori, each one stitched onto a paper or card--when stitched on a child’s garment, a semamori would have been placed on each of the kimono’s two ties.

Shown here are the front and the back of these small cards, each one was done by a girl or young woman in order to practice or to learn how to stitch these meaningful designs.