May 20, 20206 yr #2 Wow, Bob! Very nice, custom inked tiger senninbari!! Does the belt have ties or buttons to close it? Many senninbari or 1000 stitch belts lack ties altogether. The red circles were normally made by kids with a round stamp and red ink (anyone could theoretically do that, however). Kids were often less skilled with making knots, so they were often tasked with counting out 1000 circles. Afterward, women would take the unfinished cloth belt to busy places (outside department stores, train depots, etc.) and have other women knot them up. According to custom, only women made the knots/stitches. Sometimes the belts lack the 1000 knots and sometimes they have more. My guess is that whomever made the circles, lost count. The key, of course, was to just have many, many knots. The more stitches/knots, the greater the compounding of good fortune. Mike
May 21, 20206 yr Author #3 Mike- I can't remember what is on the ends, will check tomorrow when I am back at office.
May 22, 20206 yr #5 Very nice Bob. Tie strings seem to be the most popular among collectors because they are easier to adjust on a mannequin display. Belts that fasten with buttons may be too tight or too loose to fit correctly around the waist of a mannequin. Senninbari without tie strings are also correct (many were made without them). These were simply wrapped around the waist and tucked inside the pants. Standard service belts or sword belts were then cinched up and held the 1000 stitch belt in place. Mike
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