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Antique Japanese Silk Brocade Buddhist Priest Kesa browse these categories for related items... All Items: Japanese: Textiles: Ritual: Pre 1900: item #782882 Please refer to our stock #12-194 when inquiring.
$1,500 |
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This sumptuous patchwork silk brocade garment in simple rectangular form is a Buddhist monk’s robe which is known as a “kesa.” Meiji period, late 19th century. The background of this seven-columned kesa is made up of patches of rich, shimmering golden copper-colored silk brocade into which motifs of blue, green and tan peony blossoms and leaves were woven. The thick border surrounding the kesa was sewn from a separate piece of the same silk brocade, although it was not cut up into patches. There are four silk brocade corner squares in a floral diaper pattern on a lighter background and two more outside the central panel, all of which provide a rich contrast to the peony design. The original silk liner, once purple but now faded to a dark blue, covers the back side, and there is a thumb loop sewn into the upper corner. The kesa – a simple, rectangular toga-like garment that is the most typical and significant part of a Buddhist priest’s dress -- has essentially remained unchanged since its beginnings in the early centuries of Japanese Buddhism dating from the sixth century. Kesa were classified into general categories according to the number of columns that were created by placing vertical dividing strips of cloth extending from the upper to the lower borders. Each column was internally divided by one or more horizontal strips depending on the total number of columns in the kesa, thus creating a patchwork effect. A border and four decorative corner pieces complete the robe, which was worn over the left shoulder and wrapped around the body. The open front of the robe is held close to the body by the monk’s thumb, which is placed into a loop in the inside of the robe. The seven-column kesa is the one most widely worn by members of all sects for formal ceremonies, including worship of the deity, reading of sutras, and attendance at lectures on texts. In Japan, it was believed that the donation of robes to the clergy was a meritorious act, and from an early date, monks there favored robes made of the most sumptuous brocades. The patchwork construction was maintained as a reminder of its humbler origins, when kesa were made from discarded pieces of old cloth. The kesa itself can be considered as a mandala, a Sanskrit term for a symbolic rendering of the universe. The four corner squares represent the four cardinal directions, the center column symbolizes the Buddha, and the two flanking squares are his attendants. (See the chapter on kesa in JAPANESE COSTUME: HISTORY AND TRADITION by Alan Kennedy.) While kesa are unfamiliar to many outside of the Buddhist community, they are in the collections of many museums outside of Japan. Five U.S. museums have holdings of 100 kesa or more (MFA Boston, RISD, Metropolitan Museum, Yale University and the Nelson-Atkins Museum). CONDITION is very good. There is light staining along the top of the kesa, and some very minor wear to the silk brocade on the front where it has been folded. There is also some minor wear and tear to the plain faded dark silk liner on the back at the folds. None of these imperfections are unusual on antique kesa given the fragility of the silk used to create these important Buddhist garments. DIMENSIONS: 79” (200.7 cm) x 45” (114.3 cm). |
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