Noh Mask
ca. 2000 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Noh 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 Noh had become an even more austere and formalised drama reserved almost exclusively for the Tokugawa family, the ruling military elite.
The oldest performance in the Noh repertoire is that of Okina which has featured in agricultural purification and fertility rites since the 10th century. The performance today consists of dances offering prayers for peace, fertility and longevity and is probably Shinto in origin. Although not strictly a Noh play (in that it does not follow the normal Noh play conventions) it is now part of the Noh repertory as well as being performed at Shinto shrine festivals throughout Japan.
Okina is unique in that it is the only performance in which the actor puts on the mask after he has appeared on stage. This white mask (also known as Hakushikijoh) with its separate lower jaw, is placed as an object of worship before the performance, carried on stage in a box, and then donned by the actor whose whole demeanour changes to that of the deity in the mask.
The oldest performance in the Noh repertoire is that of Okina which has featured in agricultural purification and fertility rites since the 10th century. The performance today consists of dances offering prayers for peace, fertility and longevity and is probably Shinto in origin. Although not strictly a Noh play (in that it does not follow the normal Noh play conventions) it is now part of the Noh repertory as well as being performed at Shinto shrine festivals throughout Japan.
Okina is unique in that it is the only performance in which the actor puts on the mask after he has appeared on stage. This white mask (also known as Hakushikijoh) with its separate lower jaw, is placed as an object of worship before the performance, carried on stage in a box, and then donned by the actor whose whole demeanour changes to that of the deity in the mask.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Carved from a block of Japanese cypress with applied gesso (J. gofun) and painted; applied horsehair |
| Brief description | Woo, Japan, theatrical accessories. Noh mask of okina, Suzuki Nohjin, Kobe, ca. 2000. |
| Physical description | Carved and painted wooden mask of Okina; with separately carved chin. Applied horsehair beard and eyebrows. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'Suzuki Nohjin' (Maker's name, in a circular seal impressed on the inside of the mask.) |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Suzuki Nohjin Bequest |
| Object history | In 1965 Suzuki Nohjin began training under Ujiharu Nagasawa, a renowned carver of Noh masks. From his studio in Kobe, Suzuki continued a tradition which stretches back over some 600 years creating Noh masks both for performance and exhibition. Suzuki has donated a number of masks since 1987 thereby enhancing the V&A’s collections of masks which began in 1876 when we acquired 12 masks from Samuel Bing. During February and March 2002 in the Toshiba Gallery at the V&A, as part of the Japan 2001 Festiva, Suzuki displayed 12 masks in the exhibition ‘The Spirit of Transformation: the Noh masks of Suzuki Nohjin’ and subsequently donated six masks (FE.127 to 132-2002). It was typical of Suzuki’s friendship with the V&A that even on his death-bed that among his last thoughts he instructed a bequest of No masks – including a mask of Okina, a type that I had mentioned to Suzuki many years ago that we would dearly love to have in our collection. |
| Summary | Noh 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 Noh had become an even more austere and formalised drama reserved almost exclusively for the Tokugawa family, the ruling military elite. The oldest performance in the Noh repertoire is that of Okina which has featured in agricultural purification and fertility rites since the 10th century. The performance today consists of dances offering prayers for peace, fertility and longevity and is probably Shinto in origin. Although not strictly a Noh play (in that it does not follow the normal Noh play conventions) it is now part of the Noh repertory as well as being performed at Shinto shrine festivals throughout Japan. Okina is unique in that it is the only performance in which the actor puts on the mask after he has appeared on stage. This white mask (also known as Hakushikijoh) with its separate lower jaw, is placed as an object of worship before the performance, carried on stage in a box, and then donned by the actor whose whole demeanour changes to that of the deity in the mask. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.1:1, 2-2004 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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