Kimono

This kimono has been decorated using ink, embroidery and a stencil-dyeing technique called kata kanoko. Nature provides the main source for the motifs used in Japanese art and bamboo, which features here, is an especially popular subject. Across the shoulders of the kimono are various characters taken from the 'Poems of Congratulation' in the 10th-century Kokinshu anthology. Incorporating the written word into the design of the kimono would have demonstrated the literary discernment of the wearer.