Page 342 - Edo: Art in Japan, 1615–1868

193

34l

193 • Stylized landscape patterns called shown open, possibly indicating the
Katabira with garden landscape goshodoki (literally "imperial court presence of an unseen person in the
Mid-eighteenth / early nineteenth style") are typical of katabira such as garden. Blue and pale yellow cloud
forms filled with pine needles, plum
century this (see also cat. 203). These designs
Paste-resist and indigo dyeing, silk often incorporate allusions to classi- blossoms, and ginkgo, ivy, and maple
leaves anchor the composition. The
and metallic thread embroidery, cal courtly literature or no drama and blue cloud forms also resemble
and pigment on plain-weave ramie flowers of the four seasons. pools of water. The crescent moon of
7
174 x 124 (68 Vax 48 /s) The goshodoki design on this summer embroidered gold on the upper right
National Museum of Japanese History, robe includes miscanthus, plum blos- sleeve suggests twilight, reinforcing
Chiba, Nomura Collection soms, bush clover, chrysanthemums, the sense of coolness created by the
Chinese bellflowers, rocks, streams, crisp white ramie cloth, the blue color
and willows surrounding brushwood scheme, and the water imagery. SST
fences and gates. The lower gate is