The characteristics of the indigo-dyeing culture in Awaji Island in terms of the fishermen’s coat Donza and the implementation of the inheritance project

The characteristics of the indigo-dyeing culture in Awaji Island in terms of the fishermen’s coat Donza and the implementation of the inheritance project
発表者/presenter’s name:〇Kana Okamoto 1,Hiroshi Takeyama 1
所属/Affiliation:1 Graduate School of Landscape Design and Management, University of Hyogo, Japan

要旨/Abstract

”   Donza, the fishermen’s coat, was made durable by stitching together several layers of indigo-dyed cotton cloth. Fishermen had a tough job, therefore, the women prayed for their sons and husbands, and stitched various patterns on the indigo-dyed cloth: hemp denoting a talisman, persimmon denoting a good harvest and so on. Until the 1950s, the coat was worn by some people in Awaji Island in Japan, however, currently, Donza is scarcely known by people; only a few items remain in two museums. However, Donza inspires some people to create various articles, which are Donza Tile using the Donza patterns and clothes stitched using Donza patterns on indigo-dyed cloth.

Popularizing Donza as Awaji Island’s unique craft could lead to the regional development of the island. Therefore, authors planned to clarify the characteristics of Awaji Island’s Donza and indigo-dyeing culture, organize a Donza exhibition to summarize these results, and verify citizens’ awareness of inheritance and reflection of community development.

For this study, eleven privately-owned Donzas were collected. Results reveal that Donza was used in winter for protection from cold and used unevenly in the northwestern part of Awaji Island, which appears to be closely related to winter migrants. Moreover, there are 10 remains of indigo dyeing house named Konya on the island. Some houses remain some items, which were used for indigo dyeing.

Based on these findings, authors organized a Donza exhibition comprising 210 visitors over 3 days, in 2021, to pass on Donza and indigo dying culture to the people. The visitors commented learning Awaji’s culture and history I have never known.

Moreover, author held some events with some residents living in Awaji Island after a Donza exhibition. Now, the number of people interesting in Donza is increasing, and more residents cooperate for popularizing Donza and revitalizing the regional communities.

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