"A thousand autumn nights"

“Uchikake” kimono crafted in silk mikado. Kimono sleeves. The hem is padded with cotton, as is traditional for uchikake—ceremonial outer kimonos worn by Japanese brides during Shinto or shinzen weddings. The uchikake forms part of the Japanese bridal ensemble: a richly embroidered over-kimono, resplendent in vivid colours and typically adorned with motifs such as cranes, pines, flowing water, and blossoms. In this case, we have sought its essential form—free of distractions. Underdress in cotton gauze, hand-finished.

A THOUSAND AUTUMN NIGHTS

"Once, two lovers parted over a trivial misunderstanding. Yet she seemed unable to let go of the past, for she sent him this poem:

You were cold with me,
and yet I cannot condemn you to oblivion—
the love I bear you softens my resentment.

‘Just as I suspected,’ the man exclaimed, and replied with this verse:

A river in turmoil—
such is the course our love has taken.
When an islet divides us,
the current will draw us together once more.

That very night, he went to see her.
They spoke of the past and of the days to come, and he recited:

If we took a thousand autumn nights
and wove them into one—
if we shared ten thousand more,
would that ever suffice?

She answered:

Even if we took a thousand autumn nights
and made them into one,
the rooster would still find us,
showering us with compliments.

From that moment on, he visited her with even greater passion than before."