Unlined Kosode (Hitoe) with Grasses and Dewdrops

Unlined Kosode (Hitoe) with Grasses and Dewdrops

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This elegant summer robe features a cooling design of grasses and drops of dew. The large circles reserved in white contain lightly painted peony crest patterns; however, from afar, the peony designs are not visible and the circles resemble the full moon above a grassy field—a classic autumnal theme. The robe displays two significant changes typical of the late Edo period. First, the focal point of the patterning has moved from the back of the garment to the front and hem edges. Second, in a departure from the brush-dyeing of the multicolored yūzen technique, which was common in the middle Edo period, a simpler procedure called shiro agari (literally, "finished in white") was used. Lines of paste were applied before the cloth was dip-dyed, and the paste resisted the dye; then, details were embroidered. The process of shiro agari resulted in the simplicity seen here—white lines representing grasses on a richly dyed purple background enhanced with touches of embroidery, such as the dewdrops couched in gold.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Unlined Kosode (Hitoe) with Grasses and DewdropsUnlined Kosode (Hitoe) with Grasses and DewdropsUnlined Kosode (Hitoe) with Grasses and DewdropsUnlined Kosode (Hitoe) with Grasses and DewdropsUnlined Kosode (Hitoe) with Grasses and Dewdrops

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.