Noh Theater Robe, Karaori Type

18th century

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About the Artwork

Restrained, formal, and masked, Nō dramas developed into the national theater of Japan under the patronage of shoguns. An all-male cast of performers combine mime, music, chant, and costume. The drama is set against an austere and unchanging stage with a lone, ancient pine painted on the back wall; robes set the mood. An actor’s inspired selection of a costume signifies masterful role interpretation.

This robe is Karaori, an outer robe generally used for women’s roles and the most resplendent of all Nō costumes. Originally, karaori, meaning “Chinese weaving,” described imported, figured fabrics; later it referred to elaborate brocades woven in the Nishijin district of Kyoto. The contrasting types of silk give this robe extraordinary subtlety and depth. This robe, with a design of butterflies, chrysanthemums, and grasses, was used for plays in which autumnal imagery was prominent.

Title Noh Theater Robe, Karaori Type

Artwork Date 18th century

Artist ----------

Life Dates ----------

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. Japanese

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Unknown

Medium Metallic and silk brocade, silk

Dimensions Overall: 59 3/4 × 53 5/8 inches (151.8 × 136.2 cm)

Classification Costumes

Department Asian Art

Credit Founders Society Purchase, Henry Ford II Fund

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 1984.23

Markings

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Provenance

Komparu Ryu No Masters, Nara Japan

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

DIA, 100 MASTERWORKS FROM THE DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS, Hudson Hills Press, NY, 1985, p 60, p 61 (ill).

DIA BULLETIN, vol 62, no 2, 1985, p 25 fig 20.

Denney, Joyce. “Luxury and Propriety: Edo-Period Noh Costumes and Samurai Women's Garments in the Detroit Institute of Arts.” Bulletin of the DIA 88, no. 1/4 (2014): p. 121 (fig. 10).

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

Japanese, Noh Theater Robe, Karaori Type, 18th century, Metallic and silk brocade, silk. Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase, Henry Ford II Fund, 1984.23.