Under-kimono (nagajuban) with design of full moon and evening mist

The decoration of this robe is simple, striking, and poetic. The fabric, a type of gauze made with intertwined threads (karamiori), has been resist-dyed using a tie-dying method known as shibori. The outline of the moon was stitched and bundled, and the purplish dye was allowed to bleed partly into the disk to create a glowing aura. An uneven pattern of dark and light dye radiates from the moon and crosses the body of the robe, an effect of bundling the fabric before dying. The resulting effect evokes the moon’s glowing presence in a cloudy night sky.

The Japanese characters at the lower left are a reference to Nagasawa Rosetsu (1754–1799), an artist known for paintings of moonlit scenery.