Vintage Japanese fire-fighters' jackets are popular with thrift store fashionistas. They show up on ebay direct from Japan as well as high-end resell shops. This blog will help you find a real one verses a contemporary fake. A fire-fighting outfit is called hikeshi sashiko hanten in Japanese. These outfits consist of several layers which were wetted down to protect the firemen from burns, bruises and flames. These multi-layers also guarded the fireman from falling objects. The jacket's stitching techniques and design (see close up photo below) are referred to as sashiko . The designers laid several pieces of cotton cloth over one another and stitched them together, perhaps like an Amish kitchen rag rug. Each row of fabric had a rolled up layer of cotton, providing a reinforced cloth that almost had a knotted surface. Cotton fabric was used because it quickly absorbed water and could be died with indigo. The term hanten implies short garment. These jackets did not