WW2 Japanese Senninbari Thousand Stitch Belt Pray for Military Victory

This rare cotton senninbari belt has the highly desirable good luck coin stitched on.

It also has Kanji characters 祈武運長久 which translates to “Prayer May your military fortunes be long lasting.”

These belts of cloth were worn around the waist and under the uniform. These highly spiritual talisman were given to soldiers and sailors to ward off death in battle.

These are technically called “Thousand Person Stitches.”

These were initiated by a female family member at home and then by standing on the street and getting female passers-by to make a stitch until 1000 stitches were made. Only women could make a stitch

They were also made by groups of women and school girls to be sent to men who did not have one.

Many patterns of stitching exist.

Be advised that this senninbari was washed in modern detergent before we received it. We strongly urge clients not to do this and do not do it ourselves.  Here, during the previous washing, not all the old stains were removed as you can see.  Additionally, modern detergents contain whitening agents that cling to fabric fibers. Cotton fibers are highly porous which allows these whiteners to soak deep into the fibers. These whiteners are specifically designed to make them appear brighter in daylight.  Unfortunately, these chemicals actually absorb UV light and re-emit the UV light as a visible blue-white glow, as here.  Regardless, this is a 100% original sennibari.