Noh Costume (Chōken) with Paulownia

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Probably originally a reference to a type of silk, chōken (literally “long silk”) were garments worn during the Muromachi period (1392–1573) by young boys of elite samurai families. High-ranking samurai gifted Noh actors with elegant chōken hitatare (long-sleeved jacket paired with a trouser-skirt) to use as Noh costumes; gradually the term came to mean Noh robes. Typically, chōken are made of silk gauze patterned with gold supplementary wefts. This robe is decorated with two sizes of paulownia flower in gold, white, peach, orange, and green on a purple gauze ground. Chōken were often used in dances by male actors playing elegant female characters, or as costumes for gentle male characters.

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