Kesa
First half of the 19th century, Late Edo period (1789–1868)
Japan
Japan
The fabric for this trapezoidal robe made for the Jodo sect is a famous type known in Japan as nishiki kinran a brocade that combines silk in various rich colors (nishiki) with flat gilt-paper thread (kinran). The pattern combines two types of dragons with two types of cloud designs in a Chinese manner. An inscription on the lining records that the robe was donated to the temple on February 14th (no year cited) by the presiding priest, a member of the 23rd generation of the family that owned the temple.
Silk and gilt-paper strip; twill weave with secondary binding warps and supplementary patterning wefts; silk tassels