Boro shows some 50 rare articles of clothing and everyday textiles made in Japan between 1850 and 1950. The word boro means ‘patched together’ and here refers to the indigo-dyed patched-together garments of the Japanese rural population. Expensive cotton fabrics were reserved to the upper classes. As worn-out rags, they found their way cheaply into the hands of the peasants, who patched them together to create impressive garments of great aesthetic charm.
Works
Three bags for rice (kome bukuro), late nineteenth century, idigo-dyed cotton, collection of Stephen Szczepanek
Futon cover (futonji), first half of twentieth century, indigo-dyed cotton, including cotton fabrics printed with ikat patterns (nikoniko kasuri), collection of Stephen Szczepanek
Various work clothes and nightclothes in a gallery at the Château de Boisbuchet, late nineteenth to mid-twentieth century, collections of Stephen Szczepanek, Amy Katoh, Alexander von Vegesack
Work garment woven from remnants of hemp fibres (okuso zakkuri), late nineteenth century, hemp fibres, remnants of hem fibres (okuso) and indigo-yed cotton, collection of Stephen Szczepanek
Winter jacket (hanten), indigo-dyed cotton and linen, densely woven from rags with cotton warp threads (sakiori), sashiko embroidery, late nineteenth century
Work jacket (noragi), late nineteenth century, indigo-yed cotton, collection of Stephen Szczepanek
Processing raw cotton: the woman on the right is separating the fibres from the seeds, the man on the left is preparing them for spinning. Studio of Kusakabe Kimbei, c. 1890–99, albumen print, hand coloured, MOK, P 9, copyright RBAIn their minimalist beauty, these recycled textiles stand not only for artistic creativity and the positive affirmation of the transitory nature of all existence, but also for respect for the natural material and the work of the hands. The precursors of the boro textiles were the kesa, the garments worn by Buddhist monks, which were also patched together as the outward expression of the Buddhist ideal of poverty. Outstanding monks’ garments from the museum’s own collection have been incorporated into the boro exhibition.
Exhibition views
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015
Boro – Fabric of Life, Exhibition view, MOK 2015An exhibition of the Domaine de Boisbuchet / C.I.R.E.C.A., France in cooperation with the Museum of East Asian Art, Cologne.
in Kooperation mit
Opening times
Admission prices
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Museum für
Ostasiatische Kunst Köln
Universitätsstrasse 100
D 50674 Köln
Ticket office +49.221.221-28617
mok@museenkoeln.de
Legal notice
Opening times
Admission prices
How to get here
Barrier-free
Museum für
Ostasiatische Kunst Köln
Universitätsstrasse 100
D 50674 Köln
Ticket office +49.221.221-28617
mok@museenkoeln.de
Legal notice
