Noh Costume (Nuihaku) with Millet and Nandina Berries on a Background of Pine Branches and Zither Bridges

Noh Costume (Nuihaku) with Millet and Nandina Berries on a Background of Pine Branches and Zither Bridges

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A nuihaku is a pliant, full-length costume for the Noh theater usually worn by actors playing the roles of women or young men. The term nuihaku is a compound word made up of two textile techniques: embroidery (nui) and application of metallic leaf (haku). On this robe, the embroidered design consists of scattered sprays of ripe millet and nandina plants with their characteristic red berries, while applied gold leaf defines alternating blocks of pine branches and zither (koto) bridges. All four motifs have auspicious symbolism in Japanese art.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Noh Costume (Nuihaku) with Millet and Nandina Berries on a Background of Pine Branches and Zither BridgesNoh Costume (Nuihaku) with Millet and Nandina Berries on a Background of Pine Branches and Zither BridgesNoh Costume (Nuihaku) with Millet and Nandina Berries on a Background of Pine Branches and Zither BridgesNoh Costume (Nuihaku) with Millet and Nandina Berries on a Background of Pine Branches and Zither BridgesNoh Costume (Nuihaku) with Millet and Nandina Berries on a Background of Pine Branches and Zither Bridges

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.