Kabuki Costume: Outer Robe (Uchikake) with Design of Lioness and Cubs

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The costumes of the Kabuki theater are known for their dramatic effect. The back of this uchikake, or outer robe, confronts the audience with the shocking spectacle of a lioness with bulging glass eyes pushing a cub off a high ledge. The lioness uses this brutal means to test the endurance of her cubs and will only take care of those who manage to climb back up to the promontory where she stands. On the front of the robe another cub is energetically beginning the ascent. The story, of uncertain source, is associated with a holy mountain of Buddhism, Tientai (Tendai, in Japanese), in China.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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.

Metropolitan Museum of Art