A chirimen (crepe) silk kimono featuring stenciled white plant motifs on a black background. 50" from sleeve-end to sleeve-end x 63" height. It would have been easier to have created black motifs on a white background. The designers, however, wanted white motifs on a black background, so it is assumed that the creators started with a white kimono, then applied a dye-resist paste through the stencils, and finally bathed the entire cloth in a black dye bath. One can see a light coat of the dye-resist starch on the white motifs.