This Meiji-period miyamairi kimono demonstrates the sophisticated narrative painting traditions of late 19th-century Japanese ceremonial textiles, employing yuzen and freehand painting techniques to depict the heroic legend of Kashiwade no Hanoshi's encounter with a tiger across the garment's back panel. The composition creates a dramatic tableau where the armored warrior, rendered in earth-toned browns and detailed in traditional samurai regalia, confronts the powerful striped tiger amid a stylized landscape of flowing water patterns and delicate bamboo groves. The artistic execution reflects the technical mastery of Meiji-era textile painters who skillfully balanced naturalistic detail with the decorative requirements of kimono design, using subtle gradations of color and precise brushwork to bring this legendary tale to life on silk.

The symbolic program of this garment carries profound meaning for the young boy's ceremonial introduction to Shinto spiritual protection, as the tale of Kashiwade no Hanoshi represents the triumph of courage and virtue over wild, untamed forces. The tiger, painted with remarkable attention to anatomical detail and fierce expression, embodies the challenges and dangers that the child may face in life, while the composed warrior represents the idealized masculine virtues of bravery, honor, and moral fortitude that parents hoped to instill. The later addition of applique family crests over the original mon speaks to the garment's continued ceremonial use across generations, demonstrating how these precious textiles were adapted and preserved within families as both spiritual objects and artistic heirlooms.

This artwork is featured on pages 268-271 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 93 of the summer 2018 edition of HALI magazine.

‍

‍