Kyōgen Suit (Suō) Jacket with Gourd Vines
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.In contrast to the Noh theater’s ornate and luxurious costumes of brocaded silks and other woven fabrics, early Kyōgen actors dressed in everyday clothes; costumes developed only in the early Edo period. Many plays are about the master-servant relationship, featuring an “everyman” servant alongside the daimyo.
As Kyōgen evolved in the seventeenth century, the previously improvised acting became formalized, and more attention was paid to appearance. Costumes, which were specific to each character, were typically made of dyed bast fibers, as was this jacket, decorated with a stylized design of gourds, leaves, and vines.
As Kyōgen evolved in the seventeenth century, the previously improvised acting became formalized, and more attention was paid to appearance. Costumes, which were specific to each character, were typically made of dyed bast fibers, as was this jacket, decorated with a stylized design of gourds, leaves, and vines.
Artwork Details
- 瓢箪模様素襖
- Title: Kyōgen Suit (Suō) Jacket with Gourd Vines
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: first half 19th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Plain-weave hemp with tube-drawn paste-resist dyeing (tsutsugaki)
- Dimensions: 33 × 75 3/4 in. (83.8 × 192.4 cm)
- Classification: Costumes
- Credit Line: Lent by John C. Weber Collection
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art