Samurai vest (jimbaori)

late 18th century

Originally functional clothing, this type of samurai vest (called jimbaori in Japanese) became more of a personal adornment from the late 16th century on. Fine silk decorated with auspicious cloud patterns adorns the lapels and the collar. The white circle on the back is a crest for Watanabe, a famous samurai family of the 16th century.

Bast fiber (asa) cloth with freehand paste-resist decoration (tsutsugaki) trimmed with colored silk gauze (monsha) with supplemental gold weft threads

35 1/4 x 16 3/4 in. (89.54 x 42.55 cm)

Gift of the Virginia and Bagley Wright Collection

89.96

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Beyond The Tanabata Bridge: A Textile Journey In Japan (Washington, D.C., Textile Museum, Sept. 10, 1993 - Feb. 27, 1994; Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham Museum of Art, Apr. 17 - June 26, 1994; Dallas, Texas, Dallas Museum of Art, Mar. 12 - May 28, 1995). Text by William Jay Rathbun. No cat. no., pp. 146-147.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Gentleman Warrior: Art of the Samurai, Mar. 16 - Dec. 1, 2019.

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