This kesa (priest’s robe) provides an expansive view of winter-blooming narcissus flowers crowding around a stream’s snowy banks. Wavy lines capture the water’s movement while scalloped circles represent snowflakes. More than a garment, the kesa is a symbolic depiction of the Buddhist realm based on the rows of a rice field arranged as a series of columns. The central and widest column represents the Buddha. The two plain gold squares flanking the central column represent Buddha’s principal attendants, the bodhisattvas of benevolence and wisdom. The four corner squares represent the Heavenly Kings who guard the four directions. When the kesa is worn, the priest becomes part of this symbolic diagram.