This silk miyamairi kimono for a boy's first Shinto shrine blessing depicts one of the most powerfully auspicious subjects in Japanese iconography: the takarabune, or treasure ship. According to beloved tradition, this magical vessel carries the Shichifukujin (Seven Lucky Gods) into harbor on New Year's Eve, bringing fortune, prosperity, and blessings for the coming year.
The composition presents the treasure-laden ship sailing across undulating waves rendered in graduated blue tones with masterful horizontal striations suggesting rolling swells. The vessel brims with auspicious cargo: coral branches in red, pine boughs symbolizing longevity, and various takara-mono (precious objects) associated with wealth and good fortune. The distinctive sail and traditional wooden construction mark this as the legendary divine vessel.
Above, elegant tsuru (cranes) soar through a golden-cream sky, their white plumage and extended wings rendered with graceful naturalism. Cranes—symbols of longevity believed to live a thousand years—amplify the scene's auspicious meaning. The composition flows through three zones: black silk at shoulders and hem frames the central seascape, with characteristic kasumi (mist) edges creating scalloped transitions. Stylized wave patterns in white and gold continue into the black lower register, maintaining visual continuity.
The combination of yūzen-dyeing, painting, and embroidery creates refined detail throughout. This imagery expresses profound wishes for the child's life to be filled with abundance, divine favor, and every form of good fortune.
While in good condition overall, it does have many small patina stains, which can be observed in the detail images provided. It measures 35 inches (88.9 cm) from sleeve-end and has a height of 38 inches (96.5 cm).