Long-sleeved kimono with auspicious motifs

Robes with long flowing sleeves, called furisode in Japanese, are generally reserved for girls and young women. This garment is stencil dyed and embroidered with motifs that symbolize blessings, good fortune, and celebration. Out of rocks grow clumps of pine, bamboo, and plum—long known as the “three friends of winter” because they remain hearty even as other plants wither in the cold. Beneath each clump is a ribbon-like bundle representing flattened dried abalone strips, a food used for celebratory offerings. If you look carefully, you will also find cranes and turtles—representing long life—scattered among the other figures.