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Kyogen

Katsumi Asaba

1981

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Contemporary

Dominant colour

Kyogen is a 1981 by Katsumi Asaba, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Katsumi Asaba
When & what style?: 1981
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This 1981 poster by Katsumi Asaba looks like theater art you can hang on your wall. It’s part of twelve bold designs for a UCLA festival on old Japanese shows. The posters marked five kinds of classic Japanese theater, including Kyogen, a funny short play with masks and simple costumes. To see more Kyogen posters, check the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The story of this work

Overview

A 1981 poster by Katsumi Asaba advertises Kyogen, a traditional Japanese comic theatre form with simple masks and costumes, part of a series created by twelve Japanese graphic designers for UCLA’s Asian Performing Arts Institute. The design commemorated a five-week tour by the Classical Performing Arts Friendship Mission of Japan, which included performances at UCLA and across the United States. Kyogen originated from Chinese entertainment introduced in the 8th century and evolved as brief comic interludes within longer Noh theatre performances.

Read the full account in the museum source.