The needlework and handicrafts collection of Otsuma Women’s University Museum, Part 1

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  • Nakagawa Asako
    Department of Clothing and Textiles, Faculty of Home Economics, Otsuma Women’s University

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  • 大妻女子大学博物館所蔵の手芸裁縫作品調査報告（１）

Abstract

<p>　Women’s education began in Japan in the early Meiji Period (1868–1912), and during its early years, training in needlework and handicraft production was considered important. Otsuma Women’s University was established by Kotaka Otsuma in 1908 as a private school for handicrafts and sewing, a tradition that has been passed down to the present day. This paper discusses 267 items belonging to the handicrafts and needlework collection at Otsuma Women’s University Museum that were studied in November to December 2014 with the aim of furthering understanding of handicraft and sewing education at the school. The items were divided into three categories by type (“handicrafts,” “needlework samples,” and “other”) and then further divided into twelve categories based on technique. A review of publications by Kotaka Otsuma revealed that many of the items resembled those included in publications dating from 1927–30. The type, production techniques, and other aspects of the items indicated that they were produced between the end of the Taisho Period (1912–26) and 1935. The majority of the items were lace, and the predominance of practical items such as tablecloths, together with the content of the practice work, suggests that the university’s curriculum was designed with the practical needs of students in mind. This study demonstrates the importance of the handicraft and needlework collection at Otsuma Women’s University Museum for gaining insight into the nature of handicraft education at the university from the late Taisho Period through 1935.</p>

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