Performing Arts Masks and Costumes for the Classic Comic Drama Kyōgen
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Volume 2 of Illustrated Noh and Kyōgen Plays(detail)
Artist unknown, Edo period, 18th centuryJapanese Gallery (Honkan) Room19
June 30, 2026 (Tue) - September 13, 2026 (Sun)Kyōgen is a classical form of comic theater. Its plays typically draw on everday life in the medieval Muromachi period (1392–1573). They offer light-hearted takes on interpersonal relations, family matters, and the happenings between mortals, deities, and the natural world. Kyōgen masks are carved in humorous facial expressions befitting the plays’ comical storylines. Costumes feature bold, dyed designs that are also usually humurous. In this gallery, the masks and costumes on view paint a vivid picture of the lively dialogues that occur between characters on stage.
| Designation | Name | Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance |
Period | Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number |
CMT | ||
| Highlight | Volume 2 of Illustrated Noh and Kyōgen Plays | Artist unknown | Edo period, 18th century | A-10185-2 | First period: June 30–August 9; Second period: August 11–September 13 | ||
| Highlight | Kyōgen Costume (Suō) with Wish-Granting Jewels | Passed down by the Konparu troupe, Nara | Edo period, 19th century | I-3283 | |||
| Highlight | Kyōgen Mask: Shitakiri-hime | Azuchi-Momoyama–Edo period, 16th–17th century | C-201 | ||||
| Highlight | Kyōgen Costume (Nuihaku) with Broadleaf Bamboo, Willow, and Cherry Branches | Passed down by the Konparu troupe, Nara | Azuchi-Momoyama period, 16th–17th century | I-3235 | |||
| Highlight | Important Cultural Property | Kyōgen Mask: Ebisu | Passed down by the Konparu troupe, Nara | Edo period, 18th century | C-1570 |