Seven column kesa with shoko design

For Buddhist priests, a robe or mantle called a kesa, like the one displayed here, is a symbol of austerity. Priests wear a kesa during formal ceremonies, draped like a shawl over the left shoulder.

Kesa originated in India where Buddhist priests wore a robe composed of scraps of fabric called kasaya in Sanskrit. When Buddhism came to Japan in the mid-500s C.E., the kasaya tradition traveled with it. As a reminder of the original practice, Japanese priests cut pieces out of fine fabrics and sewed them together.