No is the classical theatre of Japan which was codified in the 14th century by the father and son actors Kan'ami and Zeami under the patronage of the Shogun (supreme military leader) Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Under Yoshimitsu the Zen principles of restraint, understatement, economy of movement and frugality of expression became incorporated into the performance. By the early seventeenth century No had become an even more austere and formalised drama reserved almost exclusively for the Tokugawa family, the ruling military elite.

The karaori (‘Chinese weave’) is the basic outer robe for the role of a woman in Noh performances. From the fourteenth century the tradition of the military aristocracy donating fine robes to No actors saw the gradual introduction and standardisation of both the karaori and atsuita robes into the drama. For roles of high-ranking beautiful younger women the designs of karaori often included auspicious motifs of peonies and phoenix rendered in gold and brightly coloured threads. This karaori is decorated with peonies and undulating lines on a green ground and is lined in purple silk; it was made by Yamaguchi Yasujirô, who is one of the master weavers of Kyoto.