Discover the brightly coloured woodblock prints of actors from Japanese popular theatre.
The hugely popular kabuki play ‘Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy’ is based on the life of a ninth-century courtier and calligrapher, who was falsely accused of treason and banished from the court. The character of Umeōmaru is one of a set of triplets, each a loyal retainer to one of the main characters. Ume means ‘plum blossom’ and the pattern on Umeōmaru’s kimono identifies him.
The actor wears the bright red face make-up known as ‘kumadori’. This type of make-up emphasizes a character’s intense emotions and was worn by kabuki actors when performing the roles of superheroes or villains.
kimono
Kimonos, or 'the thing worn' in Japanese, had seasonal designs. The style of kimonos would change four times a year, and winter kimonos would be padded.
Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.
Objects from past exhibitions may have now returned to our stores or a lender. Click into an individual object record to confirm whether or not an object is currently on display. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis, so please contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular Eastern Art object.
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