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Japanese designers create a knit hat to help you look like Buddha

Andrew Kane Aug 25, 2016
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Japanese designers help you share your religious zeal (or irreverent sense of humor) with this quirky new hat that’ll make you look just like a statue of Buddha!

If you’ve ever longed for a more enlightened look, then these Japanese designers have answered your prayers with this miraculous new hat that will have you resembling a cozier version of a cosmic chakravartin in no time at all!

▼ As far as religious head gear goes, probably more comfortable than a crown of thorns

らほつニットの拡散とてもありがたいのですが、その内容が昨日のもので「結局いつどこで買えるのだ！？」状態。安心してください！買えます。そして…色選べます。https://t.co/6tuaN8hC5c pic.twitter.com/XvC41SVrgo

— フェリシモ「おてらぶ」™️ (@foterabu) August 24, 2016

The chunky, knit hats come in several suitably mellow colors, including sekizo gray, sozo ivory, samue navy, renge red, and kohai mustard. You know, so you can get one to match all of those worldly possessions and attachments you ought to be getting rid of. The hat is called rahotsu, in an apparent reference to its resemblance to the dense, curly locks sported by many images of the Buddha.

So why now? It turns out this represents a collaboration with one of Japan’s best history museums to promote a new exhibit of culturally-significant Buddhist statues.

らほつにっとご注文いただけるWEBページ完成しました♪
石像グレイ、塑像アイボリー、作務衣ネイビー、蓮華レッド
お好きな色をお選びいただけます！https://t.co/6tuaN8hC5c pic.twitter.com/wfEAB9xxRm

— フェリシモ「おてらぶ」™️ (@foterabu) August 23, 2016

The hats include one or two of the 32 distinguishing features (lakshana) that define the way we think of Buddha. Want to impress (i.e. obnoxiously correct) your friends? That “hair bun” is actually meant to be a cranial protrusion filled with knowledge, called an ushnisha. The hat also boasts those famous droopy earlobes we’ve come to expect whenever we see a representation of the Buddha. Many interpret those to show ears stretched out as if by large-gauge earrings, a symbol of how the Buddha forsook earthly things.

The hat is offered for sale online on Felissimo’s shop, and will also be available at an upcoming museum exhibition celebrating Japanese Buddhist art from the Heian Period at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park. Details about how to visit are below!

Museum Information
The Hidden Buddha of Rakuyaji Temple, Shiga
Location: Tokyo National Museum, 13-9 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo, 110-8712, Japan
〒110-8712　東京都台東区上野公園13-9　東京国立博物館
Hours: 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (opening hours extended to 8:00 PM on Fridays)
Dates: September 13th~December 11th
Website

Sources: Kai-You, Felissimo (Official Site)
Top image: Twitter/@foterabu