An Old Semamori Cho: Hand Stitched Amulets to Protect Children

late nineteenth century
when closed: 3 1/4" x 4 1/4" x 1/2", 8 cm x 11 cm x .75 cm
39 different designs

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 intentionally and that they are meant to protect the child from harm.

These protective stitches are called semamori, and offered here today is a semamori cho, or a practice album of decorative stitches that, when stitched on a child’s garment, would have been held in place one of the kimono’s two ties.

In this album there is a total of 39 stitched designs. 

There are no "covers" per se on this book and one of the exposed, outer pages is a bit damaged with some ingrained dirt and loss: its stitched image is that of a willow tree. As well, one of the designs is missing a thread and this can be seen on the final detail photo shown here.

The simple, binding stitches of the book have become loose and in part of the book they are gone.

But within the book is a treasure trove of stitched semamori, some of them inventive or rare as is the case with the geometrically stylized tortoise with a fringe of threads for its tail. Likewise the lead photo with its depiction of a flying crane in motion is unusual and delightful to see.

Objects such as this are becoming increasingly difficult to find now in Japan and this particular semamori cho is a small treasure. 

Recommended.