The kamishimo was once the recognized uniform of Japan's samurai class. By the early twentieth century, however, the tradition of the kamishimo as official wear had all but disappeared, and it was relegated exclusively to the performing arts and ceremonial occasions. For centuries, its design has remained largely unchanged. Composed of an upper capelike garment called a katingu and a pair of full, pleated pants called a hakama, the ensemble was worn over an unadorned kimono. The formidably wide shoulders were stiffened with paper and whalebone to sustain their warrior-like proportions. The family crest, or kamon, a customary identifier on Japanese formal wear, appears here on the shoulders and back of the katingu in the form of the trifoliate leaf of the katabami, or yellow wood sorrel, a common wildflower in Japan.

Fine kamishimo were prized for their intricately patterned textiles, which were skillfully resist-dyed with the use of hand-cut paper stencils. The designs, called komon, were typically organic or geometric and were composed of minute dots. The Costume Institute's example has a very fine diamond pattern. The various komon were thought to have spiritual significance and were chosen by samurai as the symbol for some desired personal quality or physical attribute that could be drawn upon for inspiration or protection.