Minneapolis Institute of Art

Noh costume (nuihaku) with floral motifs

Japan

Date

18th century

Medium

Silk embroidery and gold leaf on silk

Department

Asian Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Nuihaku robes combine embroidered designs and applied gold or silver leaf and are used as costumes in the Japanese musical drama called Noh. Usually worn by male actors playing female roles, they serve as inner garments beneath an outer robe called a karaori . This example features a ground of gold leaf applied to the silk surface to form a geometric pattern, on top of which are embroidered clusters of floral motifs in green, white, orange, purple, and blue silk threads. Since these types of robes are often worn turned down at the waist and then covered with a sash, the designer of this robe left this area free of designs, in a style known as koshi-ake , which literally means “blank waist.” Asia

The authoritative record is held by Minneapolis Institute of Art. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.