National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

　At the Amano Shrine (Nyutsuhime Shrine) in the precincts of Kongobuji Temple in Wakayama, court dances and music used to be dedicated to the gods at an issai ceremony. The costumes used for the ceremony have been handed down to the shrine since the Muromachi period. Ryoto is a sleeveless pullover bordered with decorations made of dyed silk thread, which are attached with an interlace and pinned with studs. The ryoto was used for hashirimai (dance with active movements). For the body area, satin gold brocade with patterns created only with gold woof is used. Since it was after the Edo period when gold brocades were produced in Japan, this one must have been imported from China. The tree-peony arabesque pattern with cloud-like leaves and double vines forming slightly awkward arches are reminiscent of an ancient motif. On the lining, there is an inscription of March 16, 1378 written in sumi ink. This gold brocade, therefore, must have been created in the late Yuan period in China. Most of the gold brocades created during the Yuan period were three-layered twill and it was after the Ming period when satin gold brocades were produced on a full scale in China. This gold brocade has attracted attention as a rare example of gold brocade in transition.