A remarkable chirimen (crepe) silk unlined summer kimono featuring pigmented painted fatsia japonica leaves and cherry blossoms. The silk is a very pronounced crepe (twisted silk threads). The artist has created graduations in color within the fatsia leaves to great effect. 49" from sleeve-end to sleeve-end x 57" height. The silk is a very pronounced crepe (twisted silk threads). The fatsia japonica is rarely utilized as a motif on Japanese kimonos. One of Japan's most common household garden plants - often referred by the Japanese as 'yatsude' - their large evergreen leaves look like giant outstretched hands which would be useful for welcoming and gathering up good fortune and prosperity. Their leaves have 7 or 9 'fingers', and as odd numbers, are considered to be bringers of good luck. The other motif on this kimono are cherry blossoms, which symbolize clouds due to their nature of blooming en masse, besides being an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life. The transience of the blossoms, the extreme beauty and quick death, has often been associated with mortality. In terms of technique and artwork, we have not seen another kimono like this example. We are assuming that the artwork was laid down by brushing pigmented colors onto crepe silk. The artist has created meticulous graduations in color within the fatsia leaves to great effect. A one-of-a-kind painted kimono masterpiece.