Noh Costume (Karaori) with Court Carriages, Cherry Blossoms, and Dandelions

Noh Costume (Karaori) with Court Carriages, Cherry Blossoms, and Dandelions

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This Noh costume has unusually large motifs of courtly ox carriages (gosho-guruma), dandelions, and cherry blossoms partially covered by the opaque gold clouds typical of Genji paintings. In the “Battle of the Carriages” episode in Chapter 9, “Leaves of Wild Ginger” (Aoi), Lady Rokujō, feeling neglected by her lover Genji, goes to watch him participate in the procession of the Kamo Festival, but the grooms of Genji’s wife, Lady Aoi, force her carriage aside. The carriages seen here follow the festival tradition of using the heart-shaped leaves of the wild ginger plant (aoi) sacred to the Kamo Shrine as adornment. The “Battle of the Carriages” is also referenced in the Noh play Lady Aoi (Aoi no Ue) by Zeami (ca. 1364–ca. 1443).

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Noh Costume (Karaori) with Court Carriages, Cherry Blossoms, and DandelionsNoh Costume (Karaori) with Court Carriages, Cherry Blossoms, and DandelionsNoh Costume (Karaori) with Court Carriages, Cherry Blossoms, and DandelionsNoh Costume (Karaori) with Court Carriages, Cherry Blossoms, and DandelionsNoh Costume (Karaori) with Court Carriages, Cherry Blossoms, and Dandelions

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.