Kyōgen Costume (Suō-type), 1800–1849. Unknown maker (Japanese). Bast fiber (asa) with stencil dyeing. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust.
This jacket, dyed with a dynamic "sandy beach" pattern filled with pine needles, likely had matching trousers. A Kyōgen actor would have worn this jacket over other layers of robes to play the role of a high-ranking official, landowner, or father-in-law.
Kyōgen costumes were often made of plant fiber fabrics. To produce durable threads, thread makers process the inner fiber of the plant stalk in multiple, labor-intensive steps, such as boiling and beating. Before sewing each piece together to make the jacket, skilled professionals dyed the fabric at least three times. In each round, an area of cloth was blocked with glue before applying the dye so each color could be selectively added.
