Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 266, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 November 1910 — ODD HATS IN JAPAN [ARTICLE]

ODD HATS IN JAPAN

Home of Most Picturesque Headgear Ever Worn. - % . Remarkable Collection of Oriental Covering Brought to This Country by New Yorker —Some Old Specimens. New York. —In a recent trip around the world Colonel Edward M. Knox of this city collected some rare specimens worn by the people of many nations at different periods in their civilization and is now exhibiting to his friends what he jocularly calls the trophies of his long journey. Although Colonel Knox discovered many fertile fields in which to gather material for his collection, he found his most prolific territory was Japan, whose people probably have worn at one time or another perhaps the most picturesque headgear ever worn outside of the American tribes of Indians. There is not only picturesqueness but classification in the headwear of the Japanese, according to Colonel Knox, so that the specimens of hats he gathered In the land of the chrysanthemum are not only representative of certain periods in the long

lifetime of the country, but of the various ranks of all times as well. Some of the hats obtained are marvel s_in_ design and construction, and some of them are extremely rare specimens. In some cases Colonel Knox had to buy his specimens out of museum collections and they cost a great deal when obtained in that way. He had set out to make as complete a collection as was obtainable, however, and where a hat was needed to fill in a gap in time or to represent progression in the art of making hats, he did not stop to consider the price. Another difficulty he had to overcome was the territory covered In obtaining the hats, for certain sections of the country had their distinctive styles, and he found It necessary occasionally to send a special agent to some point to get the coveted specimen. Most of the hats fn the collection have a finish of lacquer, some in solid and some in variegated colors, and many of them hear the crests of royalty, the crest being' a feature of the headwear of men Of high social and political rank and of who won recognition from the government In time of war for bravery or at other times for high diplomatic service. One specimen, bearing a design of

waves in the lacquer, dates back to 1714. It was worm by the Daiti Usaki, lord of the provinces in that year. Another, made in 1721, bears the crest of the Lord of Daimayo, the crest being worked out in infinite detail and with much elaboration of color. Another specimen is representative of the Lord of Kumamoto, who raised an army against the Shogun in 1869. Lord Okrudaira Is represented in the collection *by a lacquered hat which bears a cresi dating back many hundred years. -A Perhaps the specimen cherished most by Colonel Knox, both for its association and workmanship, is that of Lord Hikone. He is considered to have made one of the greatest moves In the advancement of the nation in its history, single acts considered, for it was he who first opened up the country to the peoples of Europe and thus led the way In the first step to Intercommunication and interchange of trade. This hat bears the design pf a dragon in black lacquer, with waves of gold lacquer over the black. It was conferred on Lord Hikone when he signed the peace treaty with the United States in 1860, before jvhich he was hailed by all of the Japanese nation as its foremost worker for civilization. Colonel Knox will keep the collection intact for a time, after which It is possible that he will give it to one of the New York city museums.