Kesa

Three sects—Shingon, Shin, and Tendai—favored the use of this particular type of kesa. Two or three fabrics were typically employed, none with the colorful patterning that tends to be preferred by collectors. The blue damask fabric used in the borders and column dividers, patterned (in one color) with floral motifs, may be Chinese in origin or it may be of Japanese manufacture made in the Chinese style. The kesa is accompanied by its matching stole, or ohi, which was draped over the wearer's tight shoulder as a complement to the kesa covering the left.