Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

BOYS' TEMPLE COSTUME

Date Range From

1929

Date Range To

1979

Materials

SILK, COTTON, PAPER

No. Pieces

6

Description

BOYS' TEMPLE COSTUME. 1. (2 PCE)GLD PAPER CAP WITH PRPL WITH WHT CUSHION . 2. SHEER WHITE KIMONO, LENGTH 78.0, WIDTH 105.3. ADORNED WITH PRPL DYE AND STAMPED WITH GLD CELESTIAL BIRD DESIGN. LEFT SLEEVE HAD YLLW AND GRN THE RIGHT SLEEVE ALSO HAS A BIT OF YLLW. 3. PRPLE HAKAMA SKIRT, LENGTH 56.0, WIDTH 57.8. BATIK REPEATED PATTERN IN TWO ROWS ACROSS BOTTOM HALF OF PANT. SILK RIBBON ACCENTS BELT AREA OF SKIRT. SKIRT TIES ON BOTH SIDES FOR CLOSURE. 4. (2 PCE) BELT IS SHEER WITH GLD IMPRINT OF FLOWER, LENGTH 128.0, WIDTH 4.6.TEXT ON BACK READS, "WOMEN'S BUDDHIST ASS'N, NEW WESTMINSTER B.C."

Subjects

CLOTHING-OUTERWEAR

Historical Association

RELIGION

COMMEMORATIVE

History

COSTUMES WERE WORN BY THE YOUNGEST MEMBERS OF THE BUDDHIST TEMPLE LOCATED IN RAYMOND, ALBERTA. FOR AT LEAST FIFTY YEARS, CHILDREN DRESSED UP IN THE ELABORATE GARMENTS AS PART OF RELIGION’S ‘CHIGO’ OR YOUNG-CHILDREN CEREMONY. THE PROCESSIONAL EVENT REQUIRED THAT THE CHILDREN DRESS AS HEAVENLY BEINGS. BOYS WORE A STIFF HAT OF LACQUERED GAUZE CALLED AN ‘EBOSHI’ WHILE GIRLS WORE THE CROWN OF THE PHOENIX BIRD KNOWN AS A ‘TENKAN’. THE CEREMONY WAS CONDUCTED AT THE RAYMOND BUDDHIST TEMPLE EVERY FIVE YEARS, COMMENCING ON THE DATE OF THE TEMPLE’S DEDICATION (1929) AND ENDING ON ITS FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY IN 1979. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE PAPER LOTUS FLOWERS WERE MADE LOCALLY AND THE GARMENTS WERE IMPORTED FROM JAPAN. FOR ALMOST EIGHTY YEARS, THE TEMPLE SERVED THE SPIRITUAL NEEDS OF MANY AMONG SOUTHERN ALBERTA’S JAPANESE COMMUNITY. IT ACTED AS A CENTRE FOR TRADITIONAL BUDDHIST TEACHING AND JAPANESE CULTURE UNTIL ITS CLOSING IN 2006. THESE COSTUMES, IN ADDITION TO OTHER SPIRITUAL OBJECTS INCLUDING THE TEMPLE’S SHRINE, WERE DONATED TO THE GALT AS PART OF THE TEMPLE’S CLOSING AND EVENTUAL SALE. CEREMONY WHERE THIS COSTUME WAS LAST WORN WAS PERFORMED FOR THE BUDDHIST TEMPLE'S FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY IN 1979. PERFORMED FOR THE TEMPLE'S INAUGURATION, 10TH, 20TH, 25, 30, 35, 40...ETC EVERY 5TH YEAR. DONOR HAS PHOTOS OF COSTUMES BEING WORN DURING THE ANNIVERSARIES (SEE PERMANENT FILE). DONOR PRESUMES THAT THE MATERIAL DATES TO 1929 TO 1930. SEE P20070014000 FOR INFORMATION ON GIRLS CHIGO COSTUME AND P20030041001 FOR COMPLETE HISTORY ON BUDDHIST TEMPLE. ON APRIL 26, 2009 THE BUDDHIST TEMPLE OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA, LOCATED IN LETHBRIDGE, WAS THE SITE OF AN O-CHIGO CHILDREN’S PARADE, HELD AS PART OF THE TEMPLE’S DEDICATION CEREMONY. VISUAL DOCUMENTATION OF O-CHIGO COSTUMES, REPRESENTING THE ONE DONATED, CAN BE FOUND IN THE GALT’S ARCHIVES, RELATED TO THE 2009 DEDICATION EVENT. ADDITIONALLY, O-CHIGO RELATED PHOTOS CAN BE FOUND RELATED TO THE HISTORY OF THE TABER BUDDHIST CHURCH IN THE GALT’S ARCHIVES. FINALLY, IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE ROYAL ALBERTA MUSEUM IS IN POSSESSION OF HISTORIC 40S ERA FOOTAGE OF TEMPLE EVENTS, RELATED TO THE RAM’S COLLECTION OF A SHRINE FROM PICTURE BUTTE.

Catalogue Number

P20060018002

Acquisition Date

2006-08

Collection

Museum

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