◆こぎん刺しとは

 

江戸時代中期～後期に青森県の津軽地方、現在の弘前市付近の農村で生まれた「刺し子」。
当時のこの地方の法律により、綿の着用を禁じられていた農民たちが、寒冷な土地でも栽培できる麻で布を織り、貴重な綿の糸で保温と補強のため、野良着に刺し子を施したのが始まり。東北の厳しい寒さの中で生まれた、女性の手仕事です。

 

◆What is Kogin-sashi?
 

Kogin is a kind of needlework which started in the Tsugaru region around Hirosaki City of Aomori prefecture in the mid-Edo period (around 1700).
According to the regional law, farmers weren't allowed to wear cotton clothes at that time. So, women embroidered on working clothes made of hemp with precious cotton strings to retain heat and to reinforce the cloth because hemp was cultivable even in cold areas.
This piece was made by a woman from a cold climate in northeastern Japan.