Buddhist Priest's Robe (Kesa) with Stylized Floral and Lozenge Decor
Japanese
A Buddhist priest's robe known in Japan as a kesa (Sanskrit, kasaya), this rectangular garment is made up of mulitple pieces of the same cloth that together form a unified assemblage of columns and rectangles framed within a border. The basic fabric is a green silk decorated with an all-over design of multicolored lozenges (rhombuses) punctuated with large flowers, probably chrysanthemums, applied or embroidered onto the surface in gold.
Compound-weave silk with patterning in supplementary wefts; selected motifs embroidered with gold and polychrome silk threads
Edo period, 1615-1868