Beautiful 1000 stitch belt with seals and good luck coins...

[Fortunes Of War]

This is a beautifully hand-made white silk 1000 Stitch Belt.  Someone put a lot of thought and detail into this senninbari. Overall measurements are approximately 7.” high X 38.5″ long. There are a total of four tie strings (2 and 2), firmly sewn to the ends. Across the front of the belt, someone took and stitched 1000 small boxes in which they added the corresponding number of red cotton knots. The color combination of red and white is the most auspicious (lucky) pairing in Asian culture. In addition, there are two 5-sen good luck coins sewn to the front.

The prominent red seals seen in the center of the belt are quite attractive. The crossed swords represent the Buddhist deity Acala, also known in Japan as Fudo Myoo .  He was originally a minor deity, described as a messenger of the Buddha Vairocanna. Acala later rose to prominence as an object of veneration in his own right as a remover of obstacles and destroyer of evil. Above the swords appears to be the mantra for Samuhara, stamped twice.  Samuhara was a prayer for protection against bullets in battle. The large red seal in the lower center appears to be from the Naritasan Fudo-in Temple, in Hiroshima.  I can feel an ofuda (good luck charm), placed in between the two layers of silk and would guess that it too is from the Naritasan Temple. The Fudo-in Temple survived the atomic bombing of the City of Hiroshima (see image of the temple below.)

 

This is a beautifully hand-made white silk 1000 Stitch Belt.  Someone put a lot of thought and detail into this senninbari. Overall measurements are approximately 7.” high X 38.5″ long. There are a total of four tie strings (2 and 2), firmly sewn to the ends. Across the front of the belt, someone took and stitched 1000 small boxes in which they added the corresponding number of red cotton knots. The color combination of red and white is the most auspicious (lucky) pairing in Asian culture. In addition, there are two 5-sen good luck coins sewn to the front.

The prominent red seals seen in the center of the belt are quite attractive. The crossed swords represent the Buddhist deity Acala, also known in Japan as Fudo Myoo .  He was originally a minor deity, described as a messenger of the Buddha Vairocanna. Acala later rose to prominence as an object of veneration in his own right as a remover of obstacles and destroyer of evil. Above the swords appears to be the mantra for Samuhara, stamped twice.  Samuhara was a prayer for protection against bullets in battle. The large red seal in the lower center appears to be from the Naritasan Fudo-in Temple, in Hiroshima.  I can feel an ofuda placed in between the two layers of silk and would guess that it too is from the Naritasan Temple. The Fudo-in Temple survived the atomic bombing of the City of Hiroshima.

 

This is a beautifully hand-made white silk 1000 Stitch Belt.  Someone put a lot of thought and detail into this senninbari. Overall measurements are approximately 7.” high X 38.5″ long. There are a total of four tie strings (2 and 2), firmly sewn to the ends. Across the front of the belt, someone took and stitched 1000 small boxes in which they added the corresponding number of red cotton knots. The color combination of red and white is the most auspicious (lucky) pairing in Asian culture. In addition, there are two 5-sen good luck coins sewn to the front.

The prominent red seals seen in the center of the belt are quite attractive. The crossed swords represent the Buddhist deity Acala, also known in Japan as Fudo Myoo .  He was originally a minor deity, described as a messenger of the Buddha Vairocanna. Acala later rose to prominence as an object of veneration in his own right as a remover of obstacles and destroyer of evil. Above the swords appears to be the mantra for Samuhara, stamped twice.  Samuhara was a prayer for protection against bullets in battle. The large red seal in the lower center appears to be from the Naritasan Fudo-in Temple, in Hiroshima.  I can feel an ofuda placed in between the two layers of silk and would guess that it too is from the Naritasan Temple. The Fudo-in Temple survived the atomic bombing of the City of Hiroshima.