Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(3)
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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!

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.

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.

This is a small (80 pages) book that is worth every penny of its price. The cover and back are adorned with fabulous examples of coats done in sashiko embroidery that were produced on Awaji Island in Japan. The coats, stitched with white thread on indigo-dyed cloth, were produced in large numbers for every day and dress up into the 1920's, but production stopped when industrialization came to the fore in the Japanese fishing industry. Although there is now a revival of sashiko in Japan, many fewer garments are produced.

This book is replete with photos of life in fishing communities and both old and newer garments. An extensive catalog of the garments that were featured in an exhibition at UCLA is appended to the text. If you own Susan Briscoe's Sashiko Sourcebook you will have no difficulty figuring out how to produce these garments or how to use the techniques in your own design efforts.

Excellent resource for those interested in this type of embroidery. Fine examples of fisherman's coats and history provided.