A Tattered and Very Beautiful Boro Noragi: Fabulous Details and Age

early twentieth century
22" x 36", 55.75 cm x 91.25 cm

This ragged, tattered, holey, short boro noragi or work coat is something of a masterpiece of stitching and mending.  The amount and variety of repair are impressive, but more importantly is the manner in which all the patches and pieces are innocently arranged to form a beautifully composed collage of old cloth.

The coat is shorter than most of its kind and it is clearly re-tailored from an existing garment.  Shown here is the proper inside of the jacket so the richness of mending can easily be seen--which is plain to see when you pore over the many detail photos shown here.

As well, the coat has age.  Its age is listed here as early twentieth century which could be a conservative estimate: certainly the presence of 19th century cloth abounds in the form of mending patches, and perhaps even the base garment itself; it is just unclear exactly when this coat was finished which is why the early twentieth century date was applied.

Make no mistake, this is a fragile beauty, with loss to the sleeves and some very ragged details, especially on the collar area.  Still, the wild stitching and the rich patching make for a visual treat that is hard to match--and when its good age is thrown into the mix it creates an irresistibly good example of a boro noragi.

Very recommended.