This marvel is an indigo dyed cotton sashiko sakkuri or donza from Fukui Prefecture which is situated on the Sea of Japan.

More specifically, this kind of all-over stitched kimono is from Mikuni, a prosperous port town which engaged in trading; in this region, work coats were referred to as sakkuri; this kind of coat is sometimes called a donza. Have a look at the intricate sashiko stitching this marvelous coat.The stitched pattern, below, is called kaki no hana or persimmon flower.Most likely this was worn by a fisherman on special social occasions, whether it be a celebration or, perhaps, bringing goods to market.  This one shows very little wear and most likely dates to mid twentieth century.The Victoria and Albert Museum in London owns a similar coat which is published in their book, Japanese Country Textiles. In this book, they attribute their coat to a farmer.  In the Kyoto Shoin Series of books, in the volume Kogin and Sashiko Stitch, similar examples to this coat are shown and they indicate these types of sashiko stitched kimono were worn by fisherman.  Likely both farmers and fishermen wore these.

The lining is made of leftover or “recycled” fabrics, including some tenugui, or souvenir towels, which are a very familiar sight in Japan.