Nuihaku Robes: A Japanese Aesthetic of Silk and Gold

Nuihaku robes are Noh costumes with designs in embroidery and gold and silver leaf. Mainly used in plays with young female protagonists (known as katsura-noh plays), they are worn around the waist beneath choken- or maiginu-type outer robes. These outer robes are often made from sumptuous fabrics such as karaori and gold brocade, to which nuihaku play a subordinate role.

From the Azuchi-Momoyama to the early Edo period, however, prior to the spread of karaori fabrics, nuihaku were the most splendid form of Noh costume and were used as outer robes in katsura-noh plays. These nuihaku were lavishly decorated, with embroidery covering almost the entire garment and gold leaf applied to the little remaining space.

In the Edo period, landscapes and scenic features associated with Noh plays came to be incorporated into nuihaku designs. Scattered uchiwa fans, folding fans and other such motifs also emerged, giving the robes a narrative quality akin to that of picture scrolls. Landscapes, autumn grasses and other similarly lyrical designs embodied a Japanese sensibility distinct from that of traditional Chinese auspicious motifs. This same sensibility can be discerned in the embroidery itself, with its use of unspun threads which were loosely looped to accentuate the natural gloss of the silk. This exhibition showcases the uniquely Japanese aesthetic played out in lustrous silk and brilliant gold leaf on nuihaku robes.