Japanese Garden Costumes

Today's visit to the Portland Japanese Gardens netted me a lovely surprise in amongst the  sand gardens.  I received a great education in theater AND was treated to seeing incredible costumes in person.  Fiber, people -- fiber.  It's what we are all about right?

I wish to pass the information on -- yes, it's a bit but if you make it through -- the costumes are incredible.

The word kabuki literally refers to the lively song (ka) and dance (bu) performances (ki) that brought to life the exuberant merchant culture of Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868).


Kabuki is said to have begun in 1603 when a daring young woman named Izumo no Okuni danced for the townspeople along the dry riverbeds of Kyoto.  The popular dance-drama entertainment she started drew the attention of the Tokugawa Shogunate in Edo (now Tokyo) who soon issued a ban against female performances to "protect the public morality" resulting in the all-male performances of both male and female roles that continues to the present day.

The new urban culture that developed around Kabuki fostered exciting new directions in the design of textiles, painting, and printmaking.  This included the creation of exotixc, handmade costumes, as well as the hand-printed playbills and posters we have come to know as ukiyo-e, or pictures of the "floating world," depicting life among the actors and courtesans who inhabited the entertainment quarters.

Kabuki continues to flourish at the Kabukiza Theater in Tokyo today.


Kabuki Costumes - A Revolution in Color and Design

For those who associate Japanese aesthetics with the subtle and understated wabi taste of the worlds of Zen and the tea ceremony, the bold designs and brilliant colors of the world of kabuki may come as a surprise.

According to kabuki expert Masakatsu Gunji: "Kabuki positively delights in violent clashes of brilliant, even gaudy colors, in a way seemingly at odds with the refinement and elegance usually held up as the ideal of aristocratic taste."

Before the advent of electric lights, kabuki performances were restricted to hours of daylight, necessitating brilliantly colored costumes, exaggerated make-up, and elaborate wigs to enable actors to convey the excitement of the highly stylized and dramatic plays.  Patterns are larger and colors are bolder so they could be seen on stage from a distance in the half-light more than a century ago.  The lights have since come on, but fortunately the dramatic colors and designs live on.

The actors and courtesans that inhabited the entertainment quarter became the fashionistas of their day, providing a coveted departure from the more reserved attire of the samurai and upper classes.  Eclectic fashions worn by the townspeople were readily adapted for the kabuki stage - and vice versa.  Famous kabuki actors designed their own costumes, creating new patterns and bold color combinations to create the dramatic affect they hoped for on stage.

Now, as to the costumes.  The ones on display today are from two separate plays.  First, we have two from Shibaraku, one of the Juhachiban, or 18 major plays in the kabuki repertoire.  The play was first performed in 1697.  The action takes place at Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura, when an evil lord and his red-faced band of retainers tries to usurp the imperial throne and behead an imperial prince and his bride.  Just as the sword begins to fall, there enters Gongoro Kagemasa, a hero of superhuman strength shouting, "Shibaraku!" (or "Wait!"), just in time to save them.  The ridiculous villain Namazu Bozu, dressed in a comical octopus costume enters, tries to chase Gongoro away and fails, whereupon the brave Gongoro gives an eloquent speech - the most splendid in all of kabuki - and slays his opponents with one swipe of his sword, saving the day.

Gongoro's larger-than-life, wide-sleeved, persimmon-colored, robe is one of the most strikingly designed costumes in the kabuki wardrobe and identifies his aragoto (violent action) role as a true superhero.  It weighs about 70 pounds and has hidden sleeves to raise the arms with.

The remaining five costumes in this exhibition are from the play, Sukeroku, the Flower of Edo.  It is the first of the Juhachiban, or 18 major plays in the kabuki repertoire.  The play debuted in Edo (now Tokyo) in 1713 and it's lavish costuming and swashbuckling tale of love and intrigue have made it an enduring favorite.

The story is set in the Miuraya bordello in the Shin Yoshiwara pleasure quarter of Edo.  A samurai warrior named Soga no Goro (Sukeroku and costume on left) appears onstage disguised as a chivalrous commoner named Sukeroku.  He is searching for a precious sword that was stolen from his father.

In the midst of his quest, Sukeroku meets and falls in love with Miuraya Agemaki (costume on right and detail below), a beautiful, high ranking courtesan.

He must now facer her wealthy samurai suitor, Ikyu (costume on left, detail on right), who now possesses the treasured sword.  Sukeroku challenges Ikyu, but the cowardly samurai declines.  Sukeroku's  mother and brother arrive, accusing him of debauchery and failing to find the sword.  Chastised by his mother, Sukeroku remains silent when Ikyu returns brandishing a sword that Sukeroku recognizes as the treasured lost sword.

Sukeroku slays Ikyu, grabs the sword and escapes from the bordello with the help of the quick-witted Agemaki.

The costumes of both Sukeroku and Agemaki are iconic in the kabuki wardrobe , their characters reflecting the essence of the unpredictable "floating world" that was the life in the pleasure quarters of old Edo.

Agemaki second costume --- oh look at all the wonderful stitching.  "Worn by the courtesan Agemaki, this costume consists of a red uchikake, a ceremonial robe donned only by the highest high ranking courtesans.  This costume bears patterns that represent Hima Matsuri, the Doll Festival, that takes place each year in March.  Weeping cherry blossoms are embroidered on the red silk field together with an elaborate kaen-daiko drum used in performances of gagaku (traditional music of the Japanese imperial court) half-hidden behind an embroidered white curtain that is used of festival occasions.  This is one of five different costumes worn by Agemaki during the play - each one decorated with equally elaborate symbols of the five sekku (seasonal festivals) celebrated each year.

This last costume is a second one of Ikyu's.  This brilliantly embroidered costume is worn by Hige no Ikyu, the decadent villain who challenges Sukeroku for the affections of the courtesan Agemaki.  This costume is adorned with fierce dragons among cloud patterns on a reddish-brown satin field.  Rising waves are appliqued and embroidered on white satin along the bottom of the costume perhaps epitomizing the garish extremes of this evil character.

I KNOW that was a lot of information, but I was so fascinated and could have stayed there for hours just looking at the detailing and beauty of these.  Wow, just wow.