This ethereal sha hitoe shibori summer kimono is a garment of remarkable visual sophistication and seasonal appropriateness. The sheer gauze fabric, rendered in deep charcoal tones, creates an almost ghostly transparency that would have provided essential breathability during Japan's humid summers while maintaining the formal elegance required of fine dress. The design features large circular shibori motifs that appear to be stylized cherry blossoms, their white resist-dyed surfaces creating dramatic contrast against the dark ground, while sinuous flowing lines weave between these medallions like gentle summer breezes or meandering streams.

The artistic execution demonstrates the influence of mid-century modern design principles, with its bold graphic sensibility and strategic use of negative space that recalls the clean lines and organic forms popularized in international design movements of the period. The shibori technique creates subtle textural variations within each circular motif, where the tied and bound areas produce intricate radial patterns that seem to pulse with inner light against the gossamer fabric. Symbolically, the flowing lines connecting the circular elements suggest the Japanese concept of mono no aware, the bittersweet awareness of the impermanence of all things, while the transparency of the fabric itself reinforces themes of ephemerality and the delicate boundary between presence and absence. This kimono represents the sophisticated synthesis of traditional craft mastery with contemporary aesthetic vision.

The fabric is fine, possibly jinken (rayon), with a slight gritty texture. It measures 50 inches (127 cm) from sleeve-end to sleeve-end and stands 56 inches (142 cm) tall.