2506 - Mille Points belt. Made of thick white cotton fabric. Embroidered with a tiger design using the Mille Points technique. Features a label from the belt’s manufacturer, Matuzakaya; the stitching was done by hand by women. The fasteners are present. The hem is partially unraveled. A senninbari-haramaki is considered a good-luck charm that brings good fortune or strength to the soldier who wears it. In general, senninbari are believed to bring courage, good luck, and even immunity from injury—particularly from bullets—to their wearers. Some Japanese soldiers, however, reject this idea of protection but believe that this element of luck may simply allow them to inflict more damage on the enemy before sacrificing their lives in battle. Other soldiers wear the senninbari to honor the women of their country. A senninbari must be made by the women in a man’s inner circle—his mother, sister, or wife, if he is married—who go to the local temple, the train station, or a department store and ask every woman who passes by to sew a single stitch. Note some wear and patina on the piece, as well as a few stains. Condition II+. Thousand-stitch belt. Made of heavy white cotton fabric. One thousand embroidered stitches depicting a tiger. Matuzakaya manufacturer’s label. The stitches were sewn by hand by women. Fasteners present. One hem is partially undone. A senninbari haramaki is regarded as a lucky charm that brings good fortune or strength to the soldier wearing it. Generally, these belts were believed to confer courage, luck, and even immunity to wounds, particularly bullets. Some Japanese soldiers rejected this belief in their protective power but thought the luck might allow them to inflict more damage on the enemy before sacrificing their lives in battle. Others wore the belt to honor the women of their country. It was made by women close to a man—such as his mother, sister, or wife—who would go to a local temple, train station, or department store and ask passing women to each sew a single stitch. Shows some wear, patina, and stains. Condition II plus.