This firefighter’s coat hides its best picture on the inside.

In 19th-century Japan, some firefighters wore reversible quilted coats: plain indigo outside, elaborate legends within.

Turn this one over and a hero battles a monstrous serpent.

A firefighter’s coat hides a legend inside

The plain indigo outside of a mid-19th-century Japanese firefighter’s reversible coat

The plain indigo outside of a mid-19th-century Japanese firefighter’s reversible coat — The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The decorated inside of the same firefighter’s coat, showing Susanoo and a monstrous serpent

The decorated inside of the same firefighter’s coat, showing Susanoo and a monstrous serpent — The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The firefighter’s jacket and patterned trousers displayed together on a mannequin

A firefighter’s coat hides a legend inside

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