Meiji (19th century) uchikake, embroidered with a sho-chiku-bai design (the “winter trinity” of pine, bamboo, and plum), an auspicious motif because of its association with long life and rebirth of life after the winter. This uchikake is not a wedding kimono; the short sleeves mean that it belonged to a married woman, and the crests on the shoulders and centre back mean that it was a formal robe.
It may have started out as a long-sleeved wedding outfit and then had the sleeves shortened for use by the owner after her …