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Seven-Panel Buddhist Monk’s Vestment (Shichijō Kesa) with Peony and Paulownia Arabesques

late 18th–early 19th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 224
In ancient India, monks who had renounced worldly life were forbidden from owning private property with material value. Clothing was no exception. In keeping with the simple lifestyle advocated by the Buddha, they fashioned their attire from discarded rags carefully sewn together. These patchwork garments were predecessors of the kesa, a vestment that is traditionally draped diagonally across the chest and over the left shoulder. In Japan, the kesa embodies a layer of meaning beyond its function as monastic clothing. The ceremonial bestowal of the robe upon a disciple signifies the transmission of the Dharma—the Buddha’s teachings—from master to student, a tangible expression of spiritual lineage.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 七条袈裟　桐牡丹唐草文様
  • Title: Seven-Panel Buddhist Monk’s Vestment (Shichijō Kesa) with Peony and Paulownia Arabesques
  • Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
  • Date: late 18th–early 19th century
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Satin-weave silk with gold supplementary weft patterning (kinran)
  • Dimensions: 46 x 81 in. (116.84 x 205.74 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles-Costumes
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1919
  • Object Number: 19.93.31
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

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