Noh Robe (Uwagi), Edo Period (silk twill weave with silk & gild thread pattern wefts)

Outer garment of Noh costume for a female role. In sixteenth-century Japan it was fashionable to create kosode (small-sleeved kimonos) by piecing together contrasting fabric scraps. After this style went out of fashion, it persisted in Noh costumes. For sumptuous Noh textiles, however, the "patches" are made integral to the fabric by laboriously dying the warp threads prior to weaving; this results in subtle shading at the edges of the color blocks, as seen in this example. The weavers of this robe also avoid any possible monotony of pattern by varying the colors so that each repeat of irises, pines, and autumnal flowers is made unique.