Japanese sashiko textiles on show

Sashiko garments are designed to both decorate and protect the wearer

An exhibition of Japanese Sashiko Textiles is being shown at York Art Gallery until January 2010. It includes items which survived the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

This is the first major British museum exhibition of this kind and will present traditional and contemporary textiles and garments, designed to decorate and protect the wearer both physically and spiritually.

Sashiko literally means little stabs and is a form of decorative reinforcement stitching, or functional embroidery from Japan.

It was traditionally used to reinforce points of wear, or to repair worn places or tears with patches, the running stitch technique was often used for purely decorative purposes in quilting and embroidery.

On display are textiles which survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima

On display in the exhibition, alongside the sashiko textiles, will be two items which survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

They are both air raid hoods, one of which was only 600m from ground zero of the bombing, were donated to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Japan to inspire peace and encourage people not to forget the horrors of atomic warfare.

A spokesperson for the art gallery, said: "The horrific bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have left a deep scar on Japanese history - the scale and consequences of the loss of life and damage caused can be completely overwhelming.

The first air raid hood was donated by Hatsue Kitabayashi, the mother of Tetsuo Kitabayshi, a 12 year old who found himself only 600m from ground zero of the Hiroshima bomb. A first-year student at Second Hiroshima Prefectural Junior High School, he was exposed to the bomb at his building demolition work site.

Burned over his entire body, he managed to make it home and was taken to a relief station in Ujina. Later, his parents took him home again, where he died without ever fully regaining consciousness.

His mother gave it to the museum on October 8th, 1981. "I don't want his sacrifice to go to waste. I want this to be used to spread peace," were her thoughts for the donation.

The second hood was donated by Sonoe Kubotaka. She was 23 when she was exposed to the bomb on a platform at Hiroshima Station. She was blasted to the ground and was badly burned from her shoulder up onto her head. Her hair was burned off completely.

Shashiko was the traditional method of making fishing and farming work wear

She escaped from the station just before it burst into flames. The day after the bomb was dropped, she developed a high fever and a severe headache. Wracked with pain from these symptoms and her burns, she begged her mother to kill her. About three months later, thanks to the devoted care she received from her mother, she recovered.

Sonoe Kubotaka donated the hood herself in 2002, saying she wants it to be used for the sake of peace.

The exhibition has been selected by textile artist Michele Walker:

"The objects have been chosen for the stories they tell. My research is taking place at a critical time when the last generation of, now elderly, makers is rapidly drawing to a close together with their traditional way of life and the disappearance of the natural landscape to which they belong."