This youth's kimono represents a masterful synthesis of traditional Japanese ink painting aesthetics with textile artistry, creating a wearable canvas that elevates sumi-e brushwork to new heights of sophistication. The garment's design demonstrates the influence of literati painting traditions, where monochromatic ink wash techniques were prized for their ability to capture the essential spirit of subjects through minimal but expressive means. Against the deep charcoal silk ground, large bamboo-leaf shaped cartouches contain exquisitely rendered scenes that appear to float like scattered pages from an illustrated manuscript, each one a complete compositional study in itself.

The sumi-e imagery within these organic frames reveals the profound influence of classical Chinese and Japanese painting philosophy, where the interplay between presence and absence, detail and suggestion, creates meaning beyond mere representation. The elephant motif, rendered with delicate gradations of ink wash, carries deep symbolic resonance as a Buddhist emblem of wisdom, strength, and good fortune—particularly auspicious for a young person's garment. The pine trees depicted in other cartouches represent longevity and steadfastness, traditional virtues hoped for in youth. This sophisticated artistic approach reflects the Meiji era's cultural renaissance, where traditional Japanese aesthetics were being refined and recontextualized in response to increased contact with the wider world.

Despite being in very good condition, there are several areas with slight staining. It measures 41 inches (104 cm) from sleeve-end to sleeve-end and stands at 42 inches (107 cm) in height.