Sleeveless Work Jacket for Sledge Pulling (Sorihiki Sodenashi)

On the Shōnai plain of Yamagata prefecture in the northern part of the main island of Honshū, an area known for producing high-quality rice, farmers used sledges to haul fertilizer to the fields. Vests of this kind were developed specifically for pulling sledge: farmers' wives reinforced the portion of the vest that came in direct contact with the sledge band with fine sashiko embroidery. The reinforced bands in this example have a stitching pattern that appears to be purely geometric but is known as kaki no hana (persimmon flower) because it resembles the concentric arrangement of the four sepals and four petals of the persimmon blossom.

The thrift of the Shōnai farmwives is apparent in this work jacket, which was assembled from many different fabrics. The small pieces of multicolored striped cloth that reinforce the shoulder area and neckband feature silk stripes and may have come from more formal garments.

Credit: Seymour Fund, 1978