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10 famous Japanese theatre masks you should know about

Here are ten famous Japanese theatre masks you should know about. So let’s start with the hannya mask.

By Gabriel LukePublished 4 years ago 4 min read
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Japanese masks or as everyone in japan calls them, “Kabuki masks” depict several kinds of arts. There are theatre masks that illustrate the mood, expressions and character of an artist.

Moreover, there are religious masks that show the dominant characters of their gods. Plus these masks are also worn during festivities and celebrations not only in Japan but throughout the world.

Here are ten famous Japanese theatre masks you should know about. So let’s start with the

Hannya Mask.

Hannya is one of the significant figures in the noh theatre. If we jump to its history, then you would come to know that hannya is a jealous female demon. The Hannya mask displays tough emotional states depending on how the light catches the features of the mask.

An actor who is wearing a hannya mask looks directly at the audience, and they see an angry female face and sometimes feel as if she is crying. There are different kinds of hannya masks for various characters such as a white mask means a woman of a refined character, red masks depict ladies who are somehow less refined, and the darkest one is for the demons.

Noh

Noh is the oldest theatre play in the history of Japan. Noh means talent, skills and craft in art performances. Noh is the classical theatre play that contains chunks of drama that contain tales from stories, supernatural powers transform into humans and depict its emotions. There is a small chunk of kyogen act in the noh play to amuse the viewers.

Oni

Oni is another most used mask among Japanese folks. People usually wear this mask during setsubun festival (a festival held during spring). People wear this oni mask to omit all the evil thoughts and to celebrate the return of the country’s favourite season.

Kitsune

Kitsune is the most beloved Japanese mask that means fox and the mask are also made similar to the fox. According to Shinto, the kitsune is the messenger of inari that is the god of fertility and agriculture. But kitsune is not always for positive vibes. This mask is available in several designs, and one can easily get it from anywhere.

Okame

Okame is the chubby face woman (wife of hyottoko), and she is the symbol of good luck. This contains two names one is otafuku, that means good luck and the other one is okame that means tortoise which elaborates long life. You can find this mask in various materials, and one can also hang it on the walls of their house to decorate them.

Hyottoko

Hyottoka elaborates a comic character, and verbally its name means fireman. There are several tales on hyottoko, but the most famous one in Japan is the boy who can produce gold via his belly button. For good fortune, when a person dies in Japan, they place this mask above the fireplace.

Onnamen

As women do not act in noh plays; hence they made several onnamen (women masks) to depict their characters and stories. There are several designs of onnamen to illustrate several stories. Be mindful that every mask contains a different story. Similarly, a shakumi mask represents middle aged women, omiona is a working woman and several other masks.

Tengu

Tengu is another type of Shinto god that came from Chinese culture (inspired by the image of the Chinese dog demon). Tengu is believed to be the dual character mask that can sometimes be good and sometimes be evil depending on the legend. These masks are worn in theatre acts, during festivals, and people also hung them on the walls of their homes.

Namahage

Every year the young men of oga village hang this namahage mask in the mountains of the village to terrify the children to make sure that they behave well throughout the year. These masks are made of paper and wood; hence you can also hang this mask on the walls of your house.

Men-yoroi

Men-yoroi is the Japanese samurai mask worn by warriors. Under this one men-yoroi mask there lies several samurai masks like somen, menpo, hanpo or happuri etc. these masks are also best for artistic purposes, in this century one can wear them to look unique and even hang them on the walls of their homes to decorate it.

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About the Creator

Gabriel Luke

Information is my field...Writing is my passion...Coupling the two is my mission. I have excellent writing skills, creativity, computer competencies, the ability to follow client instructions, and networking.

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