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Japanese, Japan

Nō Theater Costume (Nuihaku), 1750-1800

Description

Maker

Culture

Japanese

Title

Nō Theater Costume (Nuihaku)

Year

1750-1800

Medium

Plain-weave silk with gold leaf, hand-painting, and embroidery

Materials/Techniques

Materials

Techniques

Dimensions

Center back length: 162.6 cm (64 inches)

Place

Japan

Type

Credit

Gift of Miss Lucy T. Aldrich

Object Number

35.470

Projects & Publications

Publications

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Nuance in Nature

February 16 - July 8, 2007

Long-tailed birds, possibly pheasants, embroidered onto the gold-leaf diamond grid are often intended to communicate good luck.

A nuihaku is a Nō theatrical costume type that bears both embroidery and metallic-leaf stenciling as decoration. The short boxlike sleeves classify teh robe as a kosode garment. This robe was once in the collection of the Ikeda family of Bishu, a noble family (daimyo) during the Edo period.

Asian Art Galleries

Only the shoulder and hem of this theater costume are decorated. The waist was left blank and long-tailed birds were embroidered onto diamonds stenciled in gold leaf. Designs like this one often communicated prosperity.

This nuihaku was probably worn by a male actor playing a female role in a Nō play. Made in the second half of the 18th century, it is an exquisite rendering of a style from the Momoyama period (1568–1600) and once belonged to the Ikeda family of Bishū. A daimyo family during the Edo period (1615–1858), the Ikeda were great patrons of the Nō theater for generations.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Nō Theater Costume (Nuihaku) with the accession number of 35.470. To request a higher resolution file, please submit an online request.