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 military elite.
The Noh mask of Imawaka (literally ‘now young’) represents a young man of noble birth. In the carving of the mask the eyes look down, and furrows above the nose bridge evoke a melancholy nature. A black rim at the top of the mask indicates the base of a courtier's cap and parallel horizontal side hairs suggest hair pulled back and bound in the samurai style called chonmage. The mask is used for various roles in Noh including the ghost of the courtier and poet Ariwara no Narihira in the play ‘Unrin’in’ (Unrin Temple) or the warrior-poet Yorimasa in the play ‘Ominaeshi’.
The Noh mask of Imawaka (literally ‘now young’) represents a young man of noble birth. In the carving of the mask the eyes look down, and furrows above the nose bridge evoke a melancholy nature. A black rim at the top of the mask indicates the base of a courtier's cap and parallel horizontal side hairs suggest hair pulled back and bound in the samurai style called chonmage. The mask is used for various roles in Noh including the ghost of the courtier and poet Ariwara no Narihira in the play ‘Unrin’in’ (Unrin Temple) or the warrior-poet Yorimasa in the play ‘Ominaeshi’.
Object details
| Categories | |
| 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 |
| Brief description | Woo, Japan, theatrical accessories. Nō mask of imawaka, Kobe, Japan, ca. 2000. |
| Physical description | Carved and painted wooden Noh mask of Imawaka. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | Nohjin (Artist's name in circular brand on inside of the mask.)
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| 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 military elite. The Noh mask of Imawaka (literally ‘now young’) represents a young man of noble birth. In the carving of the mask the eyes look down, and furrows above the nose bridge evoke a melancholy nature. A black rim at the top of the mask indicates the base of a courtier's cap and parallel horizontal side hairs suggest hair pulled back and bound in the samurai style called chonmage. The mask is used for various roles in Noh including the ghost of the courtier and poet Ariwara no Narihira in the play ‘Unrin’in’ (Unrin Temple) or the warrior-poet Yorimasa in the play ‘Ominaeshi’. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.9:1, 2-2004 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
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