A Hinagata Kaya: Miniature Practice Mosquito Netting

ca. mid twentieth century
14 1/2″ x 13″ x 12″, 37 cm x 33 cm x 30 cm

This is tiny, hand stitched, cotton kaya or mosquito netting.  It is almost doll-sized, the reason being that it is a hinagata, or a small replica of a larger piece which was used as practice for teaching a girl how to sew.

Kaya is usually made of loosely woven hemp cloth, to create a kind of screening.  Sometimes it is made of laxly woven cotton yarns; this one is stitched from starched, tightly woven, gauzy cotton, which replicates the translucent, wiry cloth of a full-sized kaya.

All the details of a full-sized kaya are intact: the red, cotton edging, the brass rings used to suspend the kaya over a futon and the green, twisted cording which attaches the rings to the cording.

Please note that this hinagata shows overall, ingrained soiling, especially noticeable on the areas where it has been folded for storage.

Have a look at more information on our blog, here.

Recommended, and rare.