Lavender kimono with overall woven pattern of a Hannya shinkyo text
Japanese
Description
Lavender kimono with overall woven pattern
of the Heart Sutra
Japan, Showa period (1926–89)
ca. 1985
Silk with woven design of Chinese characters
Gift of Howard and Patricia Yamaguchi, 2005/1.386
This silk kimono is embroidered with kanji (meaning “Chinese
characters”), organized into a grid-like pattern. The characters are
taken from the Heart Sutra, an important Buddhist text encapsulating
the wisdom of the Buddha Sakyamuni. In the Buddhist faith,
wisdom was perceived as the ultimate weapon for warding off
evil. By transcribing (or wearing) the sacred words of the Buddha,
practitioners acquired not only positive karma but protection against
ignorance.
This garment was intended for special occasions and may have been
worn to a funeral mass. By wearing the text of this important sutra in
the form of a garment, its owner was shielded from evil in the form
of ignorance. Moreover, in the context of a funeral ceremony, the
text may have had auspicious connotations regarding the deceased’s
transition to a more favorable stage in the Buddhist cycle of rebirth.
Winter 2024 Gallery Rotation
Subject Matter:
Appropriate for wearing to a funeral mass.
Physical Description:
Figured satin weave lavender silk with vertical Hannya shinko text.
Usage Rights:
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