Description
Over 100 years old, this hand woven depiction of Noh Dancers on top of Kanji characters is far more elegant than any traditional informal wrapping cloth.
This intricate design of Noh dancers has been hand painted over hand stenciled, scattered Japanese written characters that contain an allusion to the literature of the famous Noh plays that have been in existence for over six centuries. The hand painting has been accomplished through the “Rice Paste Resist” process, and not from dip dying, which makes this Furoshiki, or informal gift cover, more labor intensive and elaborate than most. The “Rice Paste Resist” process, flourished from the late Edo Era (1615-1867) to the Early Meiji Era (1868-1912). This method required intensive and tedious labor to achiever the separate distinction of each of the colors, especially on finely hand woven Silk. The colors are from natural dyes, with the added significance of liquid gold highlights. The faded red background indicates that this was the wrapping cloth of a younger person of substance, probably male, as men played all roles in the theatre. The word “Noh” can be translated as skill, accomplishment, or talent; and the most important element of the play was the costume, as there were no stage sets. The costumes were vivid, as can be seen by these representations; and essentially served as scenery in motion. Noh plays were based on medieval stories of the past, and there are still 200 of these plays performed today, out of a total of at least 3000 written.
A Certificate of Authenticity is included.
Professional packing and shipping provided within the continental United States
