April 23, 2024
Japanese mask of HANNYA Noh Kabuki Oni Demon Evil
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I bought this piece in the International Section at the Ventura County Fair several years back. It is a smaller one of a kind, hand-crafted mask of incredible beauty and detail.The Hannya mask is used in many noh and kyōgen Japanese plays, as well as in Shinto ritual kagura dances. The Hannya mask portrays the souls of women who have become demons due to obsession or jealousy. Plays in which a person may wear the hannya mask include Aoi no Ue and Dōjōji; its use in these two plays, two of the most famous of the Noh repertoire, and its distinctive and frightening appearance make it one of the most recognizable Noh masks.The Hannya mask is said to be demonic and dangerous but also sorrowful and tormented, displaying the complexity of human emotions. When the actor looks straight ahead, the mask appears frightening and angry; when tilted slightly down, the face of the demon appears to be sorrowful, as though crying. The oldest hannya mask is dated 1558.Hannya masks appear in various skin tones: a white mask indicates a woman of aristocratic status, a red mask depicts a low-class woman, and the darkest red depicts true demons. ( Wikipedia)Approximately 6 inches high and four and a half inches horn the horn.
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