A chirimen (crepe) silk uchikake wedding robe which features twenty-five embroidered minogame. The richness of the dyes and silks, the extensive metallic embroidery, and the extraordinary design indicate that this was created by talented artists for a high-ranking samurai family. This uchikake is likely the middle of a three-robe wedding set. Red signifies the bride's birth into the groom's family, and wishes the couple a bright future. The embroidered minogame shells are of gold, while others are of a gold/silver mixture. This couching is unusual in that it involves not only the main outside, but also the interior and the padded hem. The five mon (family crests) are couched in gold thread. The inner lining is of a beni red sha silk. Young samurai women of high birth were dressed in this particular color of red - known as akahime (red princess). The red represented the passion hidden within a blue blood.48"/122cm from sleeve-end to sleeve-end x 63"/160cm height.

This artwork is featured on pages 374-375 of Ceremonial Textiles of Japan, 18th to 20th Centuries. This book, published by Yorke Antique Textiles, can be previewed or purchased on our website here.

The piece is also featured on page 136 of the July-August 2017 edition of Arts of Asia.

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