Karaori Garment (Noh Costume), flower, hexagon and wisteria roundel design on deep green ground

Karaori is a type of woven fabric, and Noh costumes made from karaori fabrics are also called karaori. ‘Kara’ means ‘Chinese’, and ‘ori’ means weaving, so its name means ‘fabrics made in China’. But actually karaori is original in Japan. Maybe Japanese people considered that such luxurious fabrics like karaori as Chinese style. Designs on dark-colored ground such as deep purple or green, with family crests and roundels scattered over geometric patterns such as tortoise-shell and lattice, are characteristic of karaori from the early Edo period, 17th century. Karaori costumes are usually worn by women’s roles on the Noh theatre.