Man's Robe
Caption
Man's Robe, Cotton with painted decoration., 55 1/4 × 49 1/2 in. (140.3 × 125.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Museum Collection, 12.890.
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Title
Man's Robe
Geography
Place made: Boso Peninsula, Chiba Prefecture, Japan
Medium
Cotton with painted decoration.
Classification
Dimensions
55 1/4 × 49 1/2 in. (140.3 × 125.7 cm)
Credit Line
Brooklyn Museum Collection
Accession Number
12.890
Frequent Art Questions
Tell me more.
You're looking at a celebratory Fisherman's Robe called a Maiwai! This robe would have been made to celebrate a great catch, the kind of catch that would set the fisherman up for years!This type of garment is most associated with the Boso peninsula east of Tokyo.You can see a crane, an auspicious symbol, at the top of the maiwai, with writing that probably references celebration and the fisherman's company affiliation.Oh I love it! It has such a fun name to match the feeling of wearing it. Maiwai!Yes! In fact, maiwai means "ten thousand blessings" and actually referred to the celebrations these would be worn at before it became synonymous with the garments themselves!What a positive piece!
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