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All Knotted Up

From the traveling exhibition- "A Beautiful Mess"

Lisa Solomon...Senninbari [1000 stitch knot belt. -from her website-

Senninbari – these are 1000 stitch belts that women would make for their husbands going off to war in WWII. Ideally 1000 women would gather and each one would put a French knot in a belt. They would work on many belts – collectively infusing each one with the luck the hoped would keep their loved ones safe. The belts protect the stomach/gut which is of significance to the Japanese. The belly or hara is where a person’s power and vitality resides – this is in part why it was an honor for samurai to commit Hara-kiri instead of dying in shame – it was an act of controlling one’s own vitality. The senninbari were meant to be talismans to protect the wearer.

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Uploaded on January 4, 2025
Taken on November 15, 2024