A collection of 19 exceptional sashiko hanten. Hanten are the traditional short coats of the Japanese working class and were quilted for warmth, worn by craftsmen, merchants, and firemen alike.

The fireman’s hanten, known as the hikeshi hanten, is among the most visually striking: heavily quilted in the sashiko tradition, with dense running stitches worked in thread across indigo-dyed cotton. The quilting created a thick, moisture-absorbing textile that firemen would soak in water before entering burning structures. When soaked, these robes could weigh up to 80lbs when worn.

Ceremonial firemen’s hanten, like these, were often created with vivid pictorial designs in bold colors, depicting dragons, deities, or auspicious motifs. While not worn to fight fires, these robes were a source of great personal and company pride, visible only when the coat was worn reversed during victory parades after a fire was extinguished, or during condolence visits.

Today these coats are collected as some of the finest examples of Japanese folk textile art, valued for the virtuosity of the stitching and the graphic strength of the patterning. It was a privilege to be able to handle these robes before passing them to their next custodian.