Buddhist Priest’s Seven-Column Robe (kesa) with Design of Dragons amidst Multicolored Clouds

This multicolored textile features a green silk satin ground brocade-woven with a supplementary weft pattern of four-clawed dragons in flight against swirling clouds. The motifs are based on Chinese textiles of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).

Buddhist priests wear robes (kesa) like this one draped over the left shoulder and under the right arm. A common kesa design includes seven wider vertical columns (jō) within borders (yō), alternating with narrower columns. Square patches near each corner of the kesa represent one of the Guardians of the Four Directions (shitennō). Additionally, two slightly larger “attendant” squares (niten) flank the upper part of the central column. They may represent the bodhisattvas, or enlightened beings, Monju (Mañjuśrī) and Fugen (Samantabhadra), or the guardians of the Buddha known as the Two Benevolent Kings (ni-ō).