Travel Cape (Kappa)

Travel Cape (Kappa)

mid to late 1800s
Country
Japan
Object
cloak, rain
Medium
Cotton ikat; mulberry paper treated with tung oil interlining; cotton ikat lining
Accession Number
2012.290
Credit Line
Neusteter Textile Collection: Textile Art department acquisition funds by exchange

Travel Cape (Kappa), Japan, mid to late 1800s. Cotton ikat; persimmon paper treated with tung oil interlining; cotton ikat lining. Neusteter Textile Collection: Department acquisition funds by exchange, 2012.290.

Dimensions
length: 42 in, 106.6800 cm; width: 97 in, 246.3800 cm
Department
Avenir Institute of Textile Arts and Fashion
Collection
Textile Arts and Fashion-Asian
The kappa is inspired by the capa, or cape, worn by Christian missionaries who arrived in Japan in the 1500s. Originally kappa were made of wool and only used by high-ranking samurai. Eventually wealthy merchants and doctors devised less formal kappa appropriate to their status. By the late 1800s, the type of kappa shown here was commonly used by men as a travel cape, as seen in the accompanying print.
Known Provenance
(Kogire-no-Kai), Kyoto, Japan, 2006; purchased by John Ruddy [Santa Fe, NM], 2006; Purchased by the Denver Art Museum, 2012.
Exhibition History
  • "Cover Story," May 17, 2013 - April 27, 2014 (DAM)