Outer Robe (Uchikake) with Maple Tree and River. Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 65 1/4 x 49 3/4 in. (165.7 x 126.4 cm). Date: first half of the 20th century.The colorful leaves of a maple tree with a river beneath its branches are an allusion to the Tatsuta River in Nara prefecture, famous in classical literature as a place for viewing autumn foliage, and familiar to pilgrims traveling to the Tatsuta Shrine. Chrysanthemums, besides being the representative seasonal flower, might also refer to the legend of the Chrysanthemum Boy (Kikujido), who achieved immortality by drinking dewdrops from the flowers. This robe was prepared for a young upper-class woman. The satin damask fabric features a complex woven design of bridges, pines, and mist, while the white-spotted pattern of the water in the lower part of the textile was created by means of a technique called kanoko shibori, literally "fawn-spot tie dyeing." The maple leaves and chrysanthemums were embroidered with silk and metallic threa