Fireman's jacket, plastron and sash
Unknown Artist
19th century
Medium
Silk, paper
Dimensions
(a.) Jacket: H. including neckband: 39 1/2 in. (100.3 cm); W. 50 1/2 in. (128.3 cm); (b.) Plastron: H. (not including loop or tie) 23 in. (58.4 cm); W. (not including side tabs): 11 3/8 in. (28.9 cm); (c.) sash: H. 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm); L. 73 5/8 in. (187 cm)
Classification
Costumes
Culture
Japan
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of John B. Elliott through the Mercer Trust, 1999
Accession Number
1999.247.9a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking ensemble—a fireman's jacket, plastron, and sash—offers a glimpse into 19th-century Japanese urban life, when professional firefighting guilds, known as *hikeshi*, played a vital role in protecting Edo-period (and early Meiji) cities from devastating blazes. Crafted in the Asian Art tradition, these garments were not just functional but symbols of guild pride, worn during dramatic nighttime drills and fires. The jacket's generous dimensions (over 39 inches high and50 inches wide) suggest it was designed for layered wear over other clothing, providing mobility for agile firefighter...