Furisode

This furisode, a long-sleeved garment worn by children and unmarried women on special occasions, belonged to a family whose crest was the tachibana, the flower of the Mandarin orange. Made of rinzu (a soft, lustrous silk), it probably was used as an uchikake (outer coat). The red fabric is woven in a pattern that combines geometric and floral forms. A blossoming plum tree embroidered with gold and white silk thread spreads its branches from hem to shoulder. The carefully embroidered blooming tree shows the influence of Western art on Japanese design. Needlework typical of this period was used to portray illusionistically the contours of the tree trunk. First the edges of the trunk were padded with a heavy thread; then, over this padding, gold-wrapped thread was couched with red silk thread.