Morinaga tofu

The Haburagin was the garment worn by girls of 12 or 13 when they first participated in the rituals. Both good and evil spirits were thought to gather at the places of ritual.

Morinaga products

The richly varied designs guarded the still immature and vulnerable girls. Morinaga went to Amami to encounter garments created by people who lived in close proximity to the invisible. Born in Tokyo in , Morinaga started clothing design when he was a university student through classes at the Vantan Design Institute. He became a regular exhibitor at the Tokyo Collection, and then at the Paris Collection, too, from A joint project with the Italian firm, Fendi, was unveiled at the Milan Collection in Morinaga designed the official uniforms for the Japan Pavilion at the Dubai World Expo in , and in , he designed Beyonce's world tour costumes.

Morinaga ice cream

Habragin reminds us of the patchwork that is the origin of Morinaga's designs. Patterned and plain, silk and cotton, the Haburagin is fabricated using cuttings from the kimonos of many people. Habura is the local word for a butterfly or moth and referred here to floating spirits of the dead. The garment was a patchwork of triangles, each representing a butterfly or moth, and hence a coat that called on the combined powers of the spirit world to protect its wearer.

A hair ornament worn by Noro during rituals. Courtesy of Uken Village Board of Education. Haburagin is a design produced by needle, cloth and thread enable the wearer to live safely.