The animated motif on this striking kimono relates to a famous Japanese fable which tells of a kind and gentle woodcutter who lived with his disagreeable, greedy wife. One day he found an injured sparrow which he took home and nursed back to health. His wife resented the care her husband lavished on the bird and, catching the sparrow eating starch, she cut out its tongue and sent it flying back to the mountains. The old man went searching for the bird and found his way to the bamboo grove where it lived. Here his feathered friend gave him food and drink, while other birds sang and danced for him. Upon his departure the sparrow offered the old man the choice of two baskets, one large and heavy, the other small and light. Not wishing to be greedy the woodcutter chose the latter and when he got home was amazed to find it full of treasure. His wife, annoyed that he had not chosen the bigger basket, went herself in search of the sparrow she had harmed. She was greeted kindly by the birds and given the large basket. Eager for the wealth she assumed it contained, the woman opened the basket on the way home only to discover it was full of monsters and ghosts. She was so surprised and scared that she tumbled to her death.

The scene on this garment shows the sparrows in the bamboo grove, dressed in kimono and dancing for the woodcutter who is enjoying food and sake. The detailed depiction is executed in free-hand resist dyeing (yūzen) and embroidery, while the bamboo is tie-dyed (shibori). One tree rises dramatically from the green shading of the scene into the black of the upper garment.