"the famous coat worn by Uesugi Kenshin. The individual patches are outllined with fine gold cord couched over the seams. The fabulous garment would have been a worthy gift for the hero, even by the standards of the time, when highly prized fabrics were everyday wear in teh higher reaches of society"
"The crazy patchwork style known as yosegire is thought of as a 16th century technique largely becasue of the existence of some particularly fine examples fromt aht period. Perhals the most motable of these is the wonderful dofuku robe, a patchwork coat that was made for the famous Japanese general Uesugi Kenshin in about 1560. Garments patched from rich and expensive pabrics were everyday wear for the aristocracy, demonstrating the importance tothe Japanese of prolonging the life of old and precious textiles. It was considered appropriate that the number of patches in such a garment presented to a loved or respected superior, should match the age of the recipient - expecially on auspicious birthdays such as 77, 88 and 99. The coat illustrated here is an exceptionally fine expression of the philosophical and spiritual symbolism underlying the Japanese attitude to patchwork. It was a gift to Uesugi Kenshin from a warlord whom he had served, and contains 17 rare and expensive Chinese brocades, many woven with gold and silver threads. If the number of patches represents Kenshin's age then he must have lived to be very old - it contains over a hundred." (Pages 26-27)
Source: Eddy, Celia. Quilted Planet Clarkson Potter Publishers. New York. 2005. ISBN 1-4000-5457-5
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