Honoring a Pilgrimage
Through Quilting

by Mutsuko Yawatagaki

​     I first learned of the Oyama pilgrimage when shown examples of the special clothing worn by pilgrims there, an open jacket known as a gyōi. As someone deeply interested in fabric, I was immediately taken by the quality of the cotton, the differing shades of white, and the stylishness of the various logos that embellish the lapels and backs. I gladly accepted a commission to make a quilt incorporating gyōi as a way to share the history of this largely unknown pilgrimage.

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    To begin, I cut pieces from pilgrimage jackets, donated by groups that have disbanded, and assembled them to create the central image of Mt. Oyama. 

      As homage to the unknown workers who sewed the jackets, I left the original stitching on some of these pieces visible. And taking inspiration from the many Edo-era ukiyo-e woodblock prints in which Mt. Oyama is pictured with Mt. Fuji, as pilgrims on the road to Mt. Oyama would have seen the two mountains, I also included Japan’s most famous mountain in my design. Mt. Fuji and the surrounding sections of the quilt are constructed of beautiful handmade fabrics salvaged from antique silk kimonos dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.

                                                                                                                                                                                        Photo by
                                                                                                                                                                                        ​Kit Pancoast Nagamura

​    I opted for a subdued color scheme, to evoke the rain clouds that often shroud Mt. Oyama’s summit. To keep these relatively monotone sections interesting, I introduced texture through intricate piecing in traditional Japanese patterns. The most difficult section to cut and piece was the pattern at the top left, a variation of the seven-treasures motif called wachigai. This is considered a highly auspicious design because it incorporates a chain (implying continuity) and circles (implying plentitude). For this reason, it has often been used in family crests and the fabric covering the back panels of decorative screens. 

     In the quilt’s top right section, I used a variation of the yabane (arrow feathers) motif constructed of elongated hexagons. The patterns at the bottom of the quilt are (from left) ichimatsu (checks), hishi (diamonds) and, in various shades of green, the asa no ha (hemp leaf) pattern. The kikkō (tortoise shell) pattern (bottom right) was a particular challenge to cut as the hexagons vary in size, and are individually outlined with a 1-cm border of black silk.
     This quilt gives new voice to garments worn with pride but almost forgotten, allowing them to speak to a new generation, not only about history, but also the importance of community bonds.


Mutsuko Yawatagaki is an artist in Shimane Prefecture who works in a combination of Asian and Western handwork techniques including weaving, dying, embroidery and quilting. Using traditional Japanese fabrics, including handcrafted textiles salvaged from sumptous antique kimono, she creates quilts in original designs that draw on favored themes in Japanese art. In 2008, she opened the Izumo Museum of Quilt Art, converting a traditional wooden home into custom-designed space where she exhibits her quilts as installations with imaginative flower arrangements.

The Oyama Pilgrimage Quilt was made with generous support from the Toshiba International Foundation. It was designed, cut, and pieced by Mutsuko Yawatagaki, and sewn and quilted by her students Miyako Matsuura, Reiko Hata, Keiko Fukushiro, and Masae Tachibana. It will be on display at the Chuo Kominkan in Isehara, Kanagawa Prefecture Dec .6-23, 2021, and at the Oyama Afuri Shrine Feb. 10-28, 2022. Ms. Yawatagaki will offer a workshop in English on quilting with kimono on Feb. 13, part of a day-long experience about the Oyama pilgrimage. Click here for more information.

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