Travel Cape, T84.0088
Posted: Jan 8th, 2020 | Collection Spotlight

Our Object of the Week is a travel cape or kappa made in Japan.

Kappa, a local name for the cape, probably derives from the Portuguese word capa, referring to the cape worn by the Portuguese missionary priests who arrived in Japan in the 16th century.

The cape is made up of 18 triangular sections woven in white and midnight-blue, indigo-dyed cotton. The outside of the cape features vertical stripes and the lining is woven in double kasuri, a method of patterning with resist-dyed threads (swipe to see the lining).

This kappa is featured in Diligence and Elegance. The exhibition closes on January 21, 2018 – don’t miss it!

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