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 mask of Rojo depicts an aged, gaunt but once elegant old woman; it is used in Noh plays such as Yamauba (The Old Crone of the Mountain), Sekidera Komachi (Komachi at Seki Temple), Ubasute (Abandoning an Old Woman) and Sumidagawa (The Sumida River). The Rojo in Yamauba is a demonic character whereas in other plays she is the partner of an old man and represents the indispensable half of the long-lasting marital partnership. The mask is sometimes used to depict the centenarian poet Ono no Komachi, who although reduced to poverty and rags yet still retains her dignity. The sunken and hollow eyes on this mask still show her intensity of character.