A Stamped Cotton Pilgrim's Coat: Contemporary

contemporary
28 1/4" x 52", 71.5 cm x 132 cm

This is a Japanese Buddhist pilgrim's coat, a contemporary one, or one that may be around 20 years old.

It is machine stitched and the white cotton is power loomed.  The black writing is screened onto the cloth.

However the vermilion cinnabar stamps are all hand applied.  

This coat is a record of a pilgrimage: each stamp on the coat was placed there by a priest who presided over one of the temples visited by the pilgrim.  In this case, this pilgrimage was one of the Shingon sect of Buddhism as this coat shows an image of Kukai or Kobo Daishi, the ascetic who introduced this type of Buddhism to Japan from China.

Note the coin sized stain to the proper, right back of the garment, near the shoulder.