Japanese Fishermen's Coats from Awaji Island (Ucla Fowler Museum of Cultural History Textile Series) [Paperback]

Luke Shepherd Roberts (Author), Sharon Sadako Takeda (Author)

Book Description

Series: Ucla Fowler Museum of Cultural History Textile Series | Publication Date: March 2001

A lasting contribution to the study of Japanese textiles and to the cultural history of the Inland Sea region, this volume presents a historical ethnography of the fishing villages that produced the sashiko no donza, or fisherman's coat. It provides as well an in-depth analysis of regional textile production, the sashiko tradition in the village of Hokudan, and the iconography of the eloquently stitched designs that appear on the coats.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sharon Sadako Takeda is senior curator and head of the Department of Costume and Textiles at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Luke Roberts is an associate professor of Japanese history at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Univ of California Museum of (March 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0930741862
• ISBN-13: 978-0930741860
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,257,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indigo dyed Fishermen's work coats, July 5, 2007

By 

Emma Howard (Kailua, Hawaii) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japanese Fishermen's Coats from Awaji Island (Ucla Fowler Museum of Cultural History Textile Series) (Paperback)

I spent 2 weeks researching indigo dyed Japanese fishermen's coats while preparing for a new design in my own work. In doing so I found vintage photographs of men who fished for a living in Japan. They wore coats to protect themselves from the elements,made by the women in their lives who also mended them ,using the art of stitching to hold together layers of fabric.The fabrics that they used to mend with were from other garments,all in blues from indigo.

This books has a collection of these coats that truly honors the blood,sweat and probably tears from the men who worked endlessly long hours to support their families.

I love this book and count is as one of my favorite reference books in creative library.I can't say enough about the beauty of these clothes and thank all of the people behind creating such a perfect collection.

Thank you!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting catalog of a lost art, October 18, 2008

By 

James A. Mcinnis "Swamp Yankee" (South Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Japanese Fishermen's Coats from Awaji Island (Ucla Fowler Museum of Cultural History Textile Series) (Paperback)

This handsomely photographed volume serves as a companion piece to a museum display of the Awaji Island fishermen's coats. Considering its focus, it is a fascinating depiction of a craft that had faded by the mid-20th century, and a celebration of the human skill involved in creating these intricate garments. There is some background historical information provided, and the volume concludes with full-length photos of variations of the coats. When I purchased this book, I was interested in learning about construction techniques, and seeing other related examples of Japanese coats. It is, however, rather narrow in scope, but I certainly can't fault the author(s) for staying on topic.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful photographs, March 14, 2009

By 

KimonoMomo (San Francisco, California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japanese Fishermen's Coats from Awaji Island (Ucla Fowler Museum of Cultural History Textile Series) (Paperback)

Featured in this book are many beautiful examples of mingei textiles from a particular region and period in history. The focus may be narrow, but for students of textile design and sashiko in particular, this is a rather helpful book. The first essay is a bit dry, but necessary for fully understanding the factors (time, place, economy, culture) that contributed to the construction of these garments.

I would suggest this more for a serious textile and/or historical garment design student. It is certainly not a how-to book, but much can be gleaned from it for those seeking to work with historical sashiko designs.