"Bosai Zukin" Protective Hoods

Calling all serious Japanophiles and collectors.

This is a set of two matching silk bosai zukin (emergency/disaster head covering) made for a mother and daughter. Hoods like this were made during WWII to offer some protection from falling debris but continued to be made - especially for children - and used to this day as head protection during earthquakes or typhoons.

These bosai zukin are padded, hand-made, and each has a piece of white identification panel stitched on the inside that shows the name, blood type, and neighborhood of the owners.

According to the ID panel, these were made in the year Showa 18 (1943) in a small town outside of Osaka for a 15 year old Shimizutani High School student and her 43 year old mother. The lining on each is different but the outer silk is a beautiful indigo shibori. The mother's is slightly larger than the daughter's.

It's rare to find even one so old and in such excellent condition, and more rare to find a pair so beautifully made.

To read more about how bosai zukin are used in modern day Japan, click here.