A beauty in white kimono, from

A bijin print depicting a beautiful woman in a white kimono — the color white in Japanese culture carrying associations of purity, ceremonial occasion, and (in Buddhist context) death and transformation. The white kimono bijin was a compositional type with particular visual drama: the unrelieved white of the garment thrown into relief by the woman's dark hair and the colored elements of her obi and accessories, creating an image of striking tonal contrast and emotional restraint.