Antique Japanese Boro Hanten Jacket, Layered Indigo Patchwork with Hand Sashiko

An antique Japanese boro hanten, its reverse covered in dozens of indigo patches and its outer face worn to a soft, ragged texture by generations of use and repair.

The Piece

Boro, from the word for rags, is the cloth of rural Japan before mass production. Families who could not replace a garment patched it instead, laying scraps of indigo cotton over holes and securing them with lines of running stitch. Over decades the repairs could all but replace the original cloth.

The hanten is the short, straight-cut work jacket worn over everyday clothing, with wide sleeves and a band collar. Here the reverse is a dense quilt of patches in every shade of indigo: narrow stripes, kasuri-like flecks, small checks, faded plain cloth and darker grounds placed wherever a weak spot appeared.

The outer face is quieter and more weathered. Long wear has thinned the cloth to a fine, lace-like texture, with threads lifting and patches showing through. It suits a collector of folk textiles, a designer, or a wall display on a pole.

Details

• Type: Boro hanten (work jacket)
• Origin: Japan
• Age: Antique; exact date not established
• Material: Indigo-dyed cloth with layered patches
• Stitching: Hand-sewn running stitch repairs
• Colour: Indigo blues and faded greys
• Collar: Band collar
• Sleeves: Wide, straight sleeves
• Measurements: Available on request
• Included: Jacket only; display pole not included

Condition

• Antique, rated B.
• Holes, thinning, loose threads, fading and marks throughout, all part of the character of a heavily worn and repaired textile. Some photographs were brightened to show the cloth more clearly. Please review every photograph.

Condition grade B (good) on the Japanese scale; see Japanese condition ranks, explained.

Authenticity & Care

The construction, patches and stitching are examined and documented in Japan before dispatch. Handle gently, avoid washing, and keep away from strong sunlight and damp.

Delivery from Japan

Packed by hand in Japan and shipped insured and tracked by EMS or an equivalent express service. Import duties and taxes, where applicable, are payable on arrival. Every sale is final; please ask anything you wish to know before you buy, and see our published policy.

Every figure above is taken by hand, in centimetres, and Japanese labels often run a size smaller than Western ones. Compare with a piece you already own and allow a little margin, the quiet safeguard on a final sale. Our size conversion guide sets Japanese sizes beside US, UK, EU and Asian ones, and for anything it leaves open the curator team replies within one Tokyo business day.