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Unlined Summer Kimono (Hito-e) with Landscapes, Seasonal Flowers, and Poem

second half 18th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 231
This light, unlined silk robe (hito-e) is designed for summer weather. Flowers and plants of the four seasons are depicted in landscape settings on a blue background that recalls refreshing waters. Spring flowers decorate the hem with wisteria and summer vegetation above. Autumn maple leaves appear toward the middle, and the neckline and sleeves bear winter pine motifs. A poem celebrating longevity and happiness adorns the front and back of the garment:

[front]
Toshi o iwau Celebrating old age, turtles
yorozuyo no kame live for ten thousand years,

[back]
tsuru no ko wa and the offspring of cranes
chiyo o kotobuku for a thousand years—
hana nare ya flourishing in their long lives.

—Trans. Monika Bincsik

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 縹絽地四季風景文字模様単衣
  • Title: Unlined Summer Kimono (Hito-e) with Landscapes, Seasonal Flowers, and Poem
  • Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
  • Date: second half 18th century
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Gauze-weave silk with paste-resist dyeing, silk embroidery, and couched gold thread
  • Dimensions: 64 x 47 1/4 in. (162.5 x 120 cm)
  • Classification: Costumes
  • Credit Line: Gift of Margaret Wishard, in memory of her mother, Mrs. Luther D. Wishard, 1974
  • Object Number: 1974.278
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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