Antique Japanese Reversible Indigo Boro Noragi Jacket

Length: Approximately 29.75 inches
Shoulder width: Approximately 23.5 inches
Cuff-to-cuff width: Approximately 38.5 inches
Japan · Antique; exact date not recorded · Cotton

This Japanese noragi is patched and stitched from collar to hem. One side combines medium and dark indigo cotton with gray-blue sections, a dark collar, short sleeves, and visible hand-stitched seams.

The other side is much lighter. Dense sashiko stitching holds layers of faded cotton, with additional patches where the fabric has worn through.

Noragi is a general term for Japanese work clothing. This jacket is also boro, with repeated patching and mending from its working life. The collar, cuffs, and hem are bound on both sides, so either face can be shown.

Details

• Techniques: Hand-pieced patchwork, sashiko stitching, and hand mending
• Construction: Reversible noragi work jacket with bound collar, cuffs, and hem

Condition

The jacket is structurally sound, with its patchwork and sashiko stitching still in place. There’s extensive fading, abrasion, holes, and thinning, especially on the lighter side and around the collar and shoulders. Some areas have worn through to the layers underneath. There are loose threads, exposed seams, patches with unfinished edges, and fraying at the cuffs and side openings.