Buddhist priest's robe (kesa), polychrome figured silk, Japan, 19th century

Buddhist priest's robe (kesa) of patterned silk with repeating leaf medallions and flower scrolls. Additional blue patches representing the four kings of heaven and the two attendants of Buddha.

Given by T.B. Clarke-Thornhill

Registered File number 1973/946.

These garments are draped diagonally under the right arm and over the left shoulder, their style reflecting certain dress traditions of South Asia, where Buddhism itself originated. In Japan these bordered and vertically seamed mantles (kesa) did not provide sufficient body covering alone and were arranged on top of a kimono-style robe. As well as marking out the wearer as belonging to a religious order they also specifically identified the monk or nun with the ascetic teachings of the Buddha because they patchwork nature of the kesa symbolised rags of poverty.

['Japanese Art and Design', V&A, 1986, p.92]

This textile is a ‘kesa’, a rectangular garment worn by Japanese Buddhist priests. Kesa are made of a sewn patchwork of cloth, the arrangement of the sections of fabric into columns surrounded by a border serving as a mandala, a symbolic rendering of the universe. The central column represents the Buddha, the two square patches of other fabric either side his attendants, and the four at the corners the cardinal directions. The act of sewing the garment is in itself a devotional pursuit. This kesa is woven with gold, which would have shimmered in the light of the temple candles.

T.84-1927