Noh Robe (Kitsuke), Edo Period, 1811 (silk satin weave with gold leaf)

Inner garment of Noh costume for a female role, Nuihaku type. Nuihaku robes, characterized by their decoration of both embroidery and metallic stenciling, are worn primarily for female roles, either as inner garments or draped to hang from the waist. Although such robes are partially obscured when worn and made to be seen from a distance, the entire design is carefully considered and meticulous workmanship is evident even in the smallest details. In this example, embroidered flowers--including hydrangeas, peonies, pinks, bell flowers, and bush clover--spring from angular flower boxes filled with solid gold leaf. The background is a pattern of bent golden grasses weighed down by dew, represented by positive and negative dots, which serves as a reminder of the ephemeral.