Cape

19th century

Not on view

Japanese kappa were originally adapted from the capes worn by Portuguese missionary priests in the sixteenth century. (The Japanese word for priest is bozu.) Although at first capes were worn only by high-ranking samurai, by the eighteenth century commoners were wearing them for travel, and they are occasionally seen in travel prints of the nineteenth century.

This semicircular reversible cape is made up of eighteen wedge-shaped pieces of warp-and-weft ikat (tate-yoko-gasuri) cotton plain weave. It is interlined with paper for warmth.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Cape
Date: 19th century
Culture: Japan
Medium: Cotton, paper, silk
Dimensions: H. (top of neckband to hem): 43 in. (109.2 cm); greatest width when closed: 67 in. (170.2 cm); width at hem ("circumference"): 168 1/2 in. (428 cm)
Classification: Costumes
Credit Line: Gift of John B. Elliott through the Mercer Trust, 1999
Object Number: 1999.247.8
Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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