A Child's Resist Dyed Happi: Festival Jacket
early to mid twentieth century
22 1/2" x 33", 57 cm x 84 cm
This is a child's elaborately resist-dyed happi, a kind of coat that is worn during a temple or shrine festival in Japan: as there are many participants in any given festival, these garments would have been made in bulk so each of the participants could wear one.
The design is beautifully rich with the horizontal stripes in red and white and the brick pattern on the bottom and, most notably, the tablet containing Chinese characters that dominates the back of the coat.
The jacket is in good, used condition, the colors still bright and the cotton still strong.
A beautiful child's costume from old Japan.