Japan, late early 20th century <ZL47>

Linen , ink, cinnabar seal impressions. Item is in perfect condition, never used condition. 

This beige linen  jacket, known as an Ohenro-gi, served as both garment and spiritual record for a Buddhist pilgrim journeying through one of Japan’s many sacred circuits—often comprising thirty-three or eighty-eight temples, numbers imbued with spiritual meaning in Buddhist cosmology. The jacket was worn over simple clothing and accompanied the wearer across weeks of travel, traversing mountains, forests, and coastal paths to reach holy sites.

The surface of the garment is inscribed with the Sanscrit characters invoking different Deities. 

Scattered across the jacket are vivid cinnabar-red temple stamps and inscriptions, known as goshuin, received at various sites along the pilgrimage route. Each mark is a testament to the pilgrim’s devotion and physical perseverance, and a record of sacred encounters.Together, these marks transform the jacket into a sacred map, a spiritual and personal artifact that fuses text, image, and lived experience.