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    VISUAL ARTS

    Patterns of Long Ago: Reflections on China in Japenese No Costume

    Patterns of Long Ago: Reflections on China in Japenese No Costume

    Presented by Museum of Fine Arts. Boston (MFA) at Museum of Fine Arts Boston

    September 30, 2009-May 31, 2010

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    Just as the stories of many No plays—peopled with historic and legendary figures, gods, spirits, and ghosts—are drawn from the classical literature of the Heian (794–1185) or Kamakura (1185–1336) periods, the robes worn by the actors recall court costumes of the Nara (710–794) and Heian periods, which were made of sumptuous woven silks imported from China. Many Chinese symbols, motifs, and repeat patterns, along with Chinese weaving technology, were adopted by Japanese craftsmen during these same periods. Although heavy woven silks and formal patterns borrowed from China—such as the "seven jewels" design and karahana (Chinese flower) motif—gradually fell out of fashion for everyday wear, they continued to be used for No costumes, as a means of evoking the spirit of the distant past and the refinement of early court culture. The silks used for some robes continued to be imported from China, or closely modeled on Chinese examples, while Japanese weavers developed other imported weave structures, such as the weft-patterned silk called karaori ("Chinese weave"), into a sophisticated and distinctly Japanese artistic expression.

    This exhibition highlights No robes from the 18th to early 20th centuries from the MFA's collection, some of which have never before been exhibited. It explores how "Chinese" designs and weaves have been employed, adapted, and combined with "native" Japanese motifs in No costume over the centuries, along with the dramatic and symbolically meaningful role such robes would play in the context of a No performance.


    • At-a-
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      • Venue Info

        Museum of Fine Arts Boston

        465 Huntington Ave
        Boston, MA 02115

        Full map and directions

      • Admission Info

        Tickets: Members Free Adults $20 Seniors and Students 18 and older $18 Youths 6 and under Free Youths 7-17, weekdays before 3 pm $7.50* *Youths 7-17 admitted free on weekdays after 3 pm, weekends, and public school holidays

      • Dates & Times

        Dates:
        September 30, 2009-May 31, 2010

        Times:
        Monday and Tuesday
        10 am-4:45 pm

        Wednesday-Friday
        10 am-9:45 pm

        Saturday and Sunday
        10 am-4:45 pm

        Please note: "The Secrets of Tomb 10A: Egypt 2000 BC" opens at 10:30 am, Monday to Friday.

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