Yellow-green Raxa Overgarment for Training 萌黄羅紗地レクション羽織

In the closing days of the Tokugawa shogunate, Japan faced great instability, as it responded to the arrival of the Black Ships by opening the country to the wider world. In that context, both the shogunate and the daimyo of the various domains saw building greater military strength as an urgent issue. In the Bunkyu era (1861-64), the shogunate carried out major military reforms. To modernize its forces, it also invited military instructors from France to train and drill its troops. In 1862, the shogunate issued an order reforming the military uniforms worn by members of samurai class. The rekushon jacket shown here was a garment that was devised at this time for samurai to wear during training exercises. While this jacket has much in common with the conventional military surcoat (jinbaori), the tighter sleeves reflect the influence of Western-style clothing. The name rekushon given to it is something of a mystery: it could derive from the English “lesson” or perhaps the French word “l’equitation” (horseback riding). Imported woolen rasha fabric was used to make many rekushon jackets. Rasha, from the Portuguese raxa, refers to a thick, densely woven woolen fabric that is brushed and the pile trimmed off. Outstandingly warm and water-resistant, it was often used for the military surcoats worn outdoors and for samurai firefighting garments. This example was made of dark green rasha, with a crescent moon and star motif of black rasha on the center back. The deep slit down the center back is designed to keep the hem of the jacket from getting in the way when horseback riding or wearing a sword. The conventional military surcoats also had slits, but were sewn differently. On the new jacket, the slit is flat felled, like the center pleat on a Western-style coat or suit jacket.