Rare WWII 'Tora' Senninbari Thousand Stitch Belt with Coin, Tiger, & Shrine Stamp

Rare WWII 'Tora' Senninbari Japanese Thousand stitch belt. The belt features a red embroidered tiger in the center. The viewer's left side of the tiger shows a small Japanese flag, now barely visible and the far left shows black kanji (Japanese writing). The belt is one piece of folded silk, once sewn together and the right end features a coin. The reverse shows two Shrine stamps and additional kanji. A Senninbari or Thousand stitch belt is a strip of cloth that is decorated with 1000 stitches, each done by a different woman. The cloth was given as an amulet to soldiers on their way to war as a part of the Shinto culture of Imperial Japan. They were commonly made from white cloth with red stitches and were often decorated with tigers who were known to be able to roam far away from home and then return safely.

Circa WWII

Approximately 38-1/2" x 6-1/2"; Coin: ¾" in diameter

Embroidered silk, cotton/polyester/silk thread, paint.

None.

Kanji, Shrine stamp

This is from a Japanese collection which we will be listing more of over the next few months. CON-KYB-CON-KKY-20-15 LDGEX10/15 SDJJX3/17

5+ (Fine-): The belt shows heavy age/storage wear, areas of light soiling, separation, and overall color spreading, the coin is loose, but remains intact and the kanji remain dark. Great been-there look!

As with all my artifacts, this piece is guaranteed to be original, as described.