Rare Traditional Dategera Mino Rain Coat

A mingei rain/snow coat from Northern Japan known as a Dategera woven from various natural fibers. In the Tōhoku region, the rain cape known as kera was an essential item for days of rain and snow. Among these, the Date-gera was a special type of raincoat, made by dyeing umisuge sea grass black. Around the collar, various colored threads were used to weave in auspicious patterns such as arrow feathers. From the back hung long strips of hemp or bark from the shinanoki (Japanese linden), serving as ornamentation. This garment was worn in wedding processions. Date-gera were made by men for the women who would become their wives. They carefully selected the materials, designed the patterns on the collar, and devoted time to complete it. A man who could create a beautiful gera was regarded as accomplished, and women felt proud to wear it when walking. It is said that, when it rained, they would sometimes take it off, fold it away carefully, and carry it home—despite the fact that it was meant to be a rain cape. But of course, it was the Date-gera lovingly made by someone dear to them. For men, there was the Date-gera; for women, Kogin embroidery. Each made their own handiwork with heartfelt devotion for the other, and exchanged them as gifts. Learning about this custom, I cannot help but wish the two traditions had been passed down together and it is truly regrettable that the techniques of Date-gera have been lost.

Difficult to measure with certainty, it is made for an adult Japanese woman of the 19th to early 20th century, roughly 125 cm (4 feet) long and is in excellent condition.