Kimono, Chuburisode depicting 'Matsukaze' theme

Blue chirimen (crepe) silk chuburisode (medium-long sleeve woman's kimono) with hand painted yuzen dyed decoration. The upper portion of the robe and the sleeves are solid medium blue. Three crests, or ka mon, (ivy leaves within a circle) are located along the top back shoulder area. The lower portion of both robe and sleeves contain scenes depicting the exile of the Heian poet Ariwara-no-Yukihira (818-893) to the Bay of Suma and the Noh play "Matsukaze" (Wind Through the Pines) about two Suma women who fell in love with him.
The background depicts a slightly hilly landscape with scattered salt huts (where the women carried water to evaporate it for salt), country garden fences, a kicho (court curtain) and several dance curtains (decorated curtains suspended from rods attached to stakes topped by orbs). The veranda of a Heian mansion is seen at the lower right front of the robe surrounded by clouds. Farther to the right is a noble's carriage (gosho-guruma). At the upper right top of the decorated panel on the kimono is a depiction of Mt. Fuji. In another area, two small white water buckets sitting outside of a salt hut refer to the women's work of gathering briny sea water to be boiled down to form salt. The design is carried out mostly in dark blue, medium blue, green and variations between the two shades, as well as lavender, black, grey, white, yellow, red/pink, golden beige, and darker golden beige. Details throughout the kimono are embroidered in silk threads. Embroidery is also present in couched gold colored metallic threads that out line the noble's carriage and enhance other design elements. Thin, flat metal-leafed strips of paper are inserted into the trees and flowers scattered over the kimono. Flowering plants of both spring (e.g. violets and cherry blossoms) and fall (e.g. Chinese bell flower, maidenflower, Japanese bush clover and miscanthus grass) bloom on the hem and sleeves. The techniques used on this kimono include yuzen (paste resist outline dyeing), kaki-e (hand painting), nui (embroidery), and koma nui (couching).
The hem of the kimono is slightly padded. It is lined in red silk. All seams are handsewn.