Baby's garment with design of rabbits pulling myriad treasures Brown plain weave silk (habutae)
Hitotsumi is Japanese for baby's garment. The name derives from the construction of the garment. The back panel consists of a single width of fabric.
In Japan, baby boys are normally taken to visit Ubusuna, the god of birth on the 31st or 32nd day after birth, and prayers are made for their sound growth. For this special visit, babies are dressed in miya-mairi-gi, or "clothes for visiting shrines".
This is an example of a baby's garment with Yuzen dyed crests and lovely rabbits pulling a bag of treasure. This garment is made of high-quality silk habutae, and is believed to have been worn for celebratory visits to shrines. It was produced either for a child born in the Chinese horoscope's year of the rabbit or for a beloved child with a connection to the year of the rabbit. The depiction of treasure bags and motifs symbolizing wealth, comfort, and luxury suggest that this garment belonged to a merchant family. This garment was created in the first quarter of the 20th century, and was reportedly designed by Seiko Ueno, a renowned Yuzen designer and man of culture.
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Baby's garment with design of rabbits pulling myriad treasures Brown plain weave silk (habutae)
The first quarter of the twentieth century (Meiji era) Design attributed to Seiko Ueno
