Fireman’s coat

Fireman’s coat
(Hikeshi-kawahaori 火消革羽織)
 (19th century)

Gallery location
Not on display
 

About this work

Kawabaori were deerskin coats worn by members of firefighting brigades. The motifs and insignia on each coat indicate the wearer’s brigade, helping to identify individuals in the smoke and confusion of a fire. The design was created using a paste-resist technique. The resist was applied to the leather coat using a stencil and the coat then exposed to smoke in a special curing room, infusing the brown colour into the leather.

Artwork Details

Medium
deerskin leather
Measurements
99.9 cm (centre back) 126.0 cm (cuff to cuff)
Place/s of Execution
Japan
Accession Number
2014.29
Department
Asian Art
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased, NGV Asian Art Acquisition Fund, 2014
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Gordon Darling Foundation
Gallery location
Not on display
Physical description
Deerskin coats (kawabaori) were garments worn by samurai firefighting brigades and on occasions by the leaders of townsman brigades. The designs and insignia on each deerskin coat indicate the brigade or group of the wearer and helped identify squad members and individuals in the smoke and confusion of a fire. The design was created by a paste-resist technique – applied to the leather coat using a stencil and then exposing the leather coat to smoke in a special curing room, infusing the brown colour into the leather.

Discover more

Learning Resource
Kimono | Japanese Language Learning Resource
Video
American Japanese Design
Exhibition
Golden shells and the gentle mastery of Japanese lacquer
Video
The world of wabi-sabi | Japanese ceramics and kimono
Video
Exhibition Tour – Japanese Modernism
Listen
Asian Art | Ambience in a Timeless Japanese Landscape
Learning Resource
Japanese vocabulary skills with Noh Theatre costumes and characters
Learning Resource
Poster design for change: Inspired by twentieth century Japanese graphic design
Exhibition
Japanese Modernism
Essay
Japanese modernism: between earthquake and war
Essay
Conservator Insight: Japanese Modernism display systems
Learning Resource
Make your mark: Design your own Japanese inspired emblem
Essay
Japanese Design: Neolithic to Now
Essay
‘Unfolding’ Japanese screens
Exhibition
Japanese Design
Essay
Japanese Large plate with cherry blossom, wisteria and Oiran with nightingale
Learning Resource
Bushido: Way of the Samurai | Language Resource for Japanese Students
Essay
Japanese woodblock prints: a mass medium
Essay
The singularity of occasion Sōami and sixteenth-century Japanese display protocols
Essay
Japanese Horse stable

Explore the collection

Child’s dress CENTRAL ASIAN Untitled Indian Bazaar Lullaby of Birdland Yoshio Kato Woman's hat CENTRAL ASIAN Hollowed-out columns woven with clay bars GENG Xue Geng 21st century symposium JAPANESE Narghile, huqqua base PERSIAN Migration in the Time of COVID Kalyan JOSHI I'm here. Kazumasa Nagai A miniature stage model of the Kabuki performance Shirai Gompachi JAPANESE Peace Hirokatsu Hijikata Against the nuclear arms Hirokatsu Hijikata Plate with cranes JAPANESE Ancestor worship offering table KOREAN 1971 Serizawa Keisuke Untitled Indian Bazaar I'm here. Sakamoto Hiroki Dr Will Maloney John RUSSELL Peace white Peace black Kazuo Saito Plate JAPANESE Women rescuers Sangita JOGI Sugawa Michizane and attendant Totoya HOKKEI Anti-war poster Katsumi Asaba Broken flag Sho KIDOKORO Woman’s hat CENTRAL ASIAN Love and peace on earth! Hirokatsu Hijikata The real war Masuteru Aoba Mt Fuji Katsushika HOKUSAI Michi Shoichi HASEGAWA Untitled Indian Bazaar