Book Cover (Kiri-ni Mukai-houou Maru-mon Nishiki)

The Mibu-kyogen, a traditional comical play handed down in Mibu-dera temple in Kyoto is said to have originated in March, 1300 with the priest Enkaku. Since then, the costumes to be used in the Kyogen play have been donated by the believers of the temple. The design of this brocade, phoenixes facing each other in roun del placing paulownia flowers on every side, was modeled after one of the Kyogen costumes donated by Yasujiro Osaka-ya and 8 others to Mibu-dera temple in 1850 with their religious believes, and was woven in warp-patterned brocade with our authentic technique.