Nō Robe (Karaori) with Decoration of Irises over an Alternating-Color Block Ground with Basketweave Pattern

This magnificent robe decorated with irises was made as a costume for young female roles in the aristocratic all-male Nō theater. Silk threads resist-dyed in alternating colors of blue, lavender, and orange were woven into a fabric that created color blocks in a large checkerboard-like fashion. Supplementary wefts of gold were interwoven into the main fabric to create a complex basketweave pattern. Multicolored silk threads were utlized to embroider images of iris blossoms and leaves over the color-block and basketweave patterns.