紺平絹地流水沢瀉模様摺箔|Noh Costume (Surihaku) with Water, Water Plants, and Leaves

Unknown

19th century · Gold leaf on plain-weave silk · Asian Art

Noh robes patterned with metallic leaf are called surihaku, a term also used for the textiles from which they are made. For this robe, the surihaku textile was decorated by applying paste through stencils, placing and pressing gold leaf onto the still-wet paste and finally, when the paste was dry, brushing away the excess gold leaf. Some surihaku robes have static, repetitive patterns, but the artful arrangement of the stencils for this robe yielded a fluid, rhythmic design. The conventionalized flowing water beneith the plants is sometimes called kanze mizu (literally, "Kanze water"), a pattern associated with the Kanze troupe of Noh actors. Kanze mizu later became the symbol for a particular Kabuki actor, Sawamura Sōjūrō III, who appears wearing clothing patterened with the motif in a woodblock print (JP2720) by Utagawa Toyokuni.

Artist

Unknown

Date

19th century

Medium

Gold leaf on plain-weave silk

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1958