The summer airing out time passes peacefully

The grand stage for Kyogen performers living in the 21st century
Vol.9 Summer airing
Ozo doctrine (Noh performer Kyogen style Ozo school)

Summer vacation: swimming in the sea, playing in the river, fireworks, Bon Odori dance, airing out clothes.
Both are quintessential symbols of summer.
Some people may not be familiar with the term "airing out ceremonial garments," but for us, airing out our garments is a regular summer tradition. We take the garments, which are usually stored in a garment storage room, out into the wind to dry them, which prevents insects from gathering in the winter and thus prevents them from being eaten by insects.

I don't know the exact number of costumes my family owns, but it's difficult to air them all out in one season. I usually narrow down the items that need attention and tackle them intensively over three to four days.

In addition to "kimono-style garments" worn under outer garments such as large striped fabrics, robes used as "outer garments" such as foil, thick board, and brocade are made of pure silk, so they should be hung on a clothes rack and dried in a well-ventilated place. It is also important to check their condition while they are drying and repair them as needed. For minor fraying, you can patch them up and mend them yourself, but if the damage is too severe, you may need to take them to a robes shop to have them repaired.

Kyogen costumes such as hakama, nagakamishimo, and suō are made of hemp, so they are cared for using traditional methods. First, laundry starch diluted with water is carefully applied using a brush. The garments are then neatly folded on a mat, another mat is placed on top, and four or five adults stand on them and step on them with their feet. This presses them down nicely and removes any dust or dirt that may have been on the hakama. Once dried, the hakama not only becomes crisp and firm again, but the starch coating also makes them less prone to getting dirty.

Costumes and props are essential tools of our trade, and we were strictly taught how to handle them from a young age. Stepping on them or stepping over them directly was out of the question. Even the way we folded them was checked to ensure they were folded neatly.

While the performers themselves are generally responsible for managing these costumes, they sometimes ask apprentices from the troupe to help out when they are short-handed.

The joyous shouts of children playing in the water, the sound of wind chimes, bamboo blinds swaying in the breeze, and treats of watermelon and ice cream.

The time we spend together, chatting and laughing, feels like a nostalgic, quintessential Japanese scene, and it's one of my favorite summer traditions.