The Collection
The American Wing Ancient Near Eastern Art Arms and Armor The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing Asian Art The Cloisters The Costume Institute Drawings and Prints Egyptian Art European Paintings European Sculpture and Decorative Arts Greek and Roman Art Islamic Art Robert Lehman Collection The Libraries Medieval Art Musical Instruments Photographs Antonio Ratti Textile Center Modern and Contemporary Art

Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.

Summer Robe (Katabira) with Kemari Balls and Willow

late 18th–early 19th century

Not on view

Light garments made of bast fibers were most suitable for summer. This unlined robe was designed with long sleeves for a young, unmarried commoner (chōnin) woman, probably in Kyoto. The cascading branches of a weeping willow provide the structure of the composition, to which scattered chrysanthemums and clematis flowers were added, along with kemari balls that appear to be suspended in the air. Accents of couched gold thread suggest sunshine. Courtiers played kemari, a game somewhat like soccer, beginning in the Heian period (794–1185); the aim is to keep the soft leather ball aloft only by kicking.

Summer Robe (Katabira) with Kemari Balls and Willow, Plain-weave ramie with paste-resist dyeing, stencil-dyed dots (suri-bitta), hand-painted details, and couched gold thread, Japan — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Summer Robe (Katabira) with Kemari Balls and Willow, Plain-weave ramie with paste-resist dyeing, stencil-dyed dots (suri-bitta), hand-painted details, and couched gold thread, Japan

Summer Robe (Katabira) with Kemari Balls and Willow, Plain-weave ramie with paste-resist dyeing, stencil-dyed dots (suri-bitta), hand-painted details, and couched gold thread, Japan

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

白麻地蹴鞠柳菊鉄線模様帷子

Title: Summer Robe (Katabira) with Kemari Balls and Willow

Period: Edo period (1615–1868)

Date: late 18th–early 19th century

Culture: Japan

Medium: Plain-weave ramie with paste-resist dyeing, stencil-dyed dots (suri-bitta), hand-painted details, and couched gold thread

Dimensions: 64 1/2 × 50 in. (163.8 × 127 cm)

Classification: Costumes

Credit Line: Lent by John C. Weber Collection

The Met

Asian Art at The Met

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world.