Robe

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The native people of Northern Japan are called the Ainu and historically have been culturally distinct from the Japanese--in language, religion, and artistic traditions. Among the most renowned of their works of art are wood carvings and textiles. The Ainu's distinctive attush cloth is made from the inner bark of the elm tree or from linden or nettle plants. Men were responsible for collecting the bark, but, as with all Ainu costume, the design, weaving, sewing, and decorating were done by women for their own families. This attush robe has uniformly wide sleeves, a trait that shows a similarity to and probable influence of the Japanese kimono; by contrast, the sleeves of the cotton robe also shown here taper from the armpit to the wrist.

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