Japanese mask

The history of the Japanese Mask

Japanese masks are masks that come from Japan (Houla great revelation, you will tell me). To be more precise, they are theatrical masks that allow to represent the mood of the actors or the incarnation of a role, an oni for example. But their uses are not limited to the theater, they are used for Japanese celebrations and also for interior decoration.

The traditional Japanese mask is part of the Japanese culture, and this, for a long time, indeed according to the old Japanese traditions, the masks were worn by dancers to represent or participate in religious cults, this began with the kamen which were imported from Korea to be used by the Japanese noh and kyōgen theater from the 14th century. They can be used alongside a Japanese wall art or a Japanese fan to serve as decoration

This mask was special because the expression of the mask changed depending on the tilt of the actor’s head, making the scene unique! While the kyōgen masks made it possible to make the audience laugh thanks to its particularly ironic features.

The representation of the Japanese mask

The Japanese mask represents mostly demons, supernatural entities, oni … They allow to represent all the Japanese folklore and so to be able to play a lot of stories in theaters. It is therefore very interesting to know what Japanese masks represent, Japanese folklore is so rich, which gives a great diversity in traditional masks.

The different types of Japanese masks

The Japanese Kitsune mask

This Japanese mask of a fox from a Japanese tale covers the face of festival-goers during Shinto rituals. Messenger of Inari, goddess of trade and prosperity, the fox is a yokai worshipped as a god. That’s why Japanese people wear a mask with its effigy in ceremonies in order to attract good things and thus ensure a good harvest or a year full of happiness!

This cunning and mischievous Japanese fox has many powers, including the ability to transform into a beautiful young woman. In this human form, he likes to seduce men and fool them.

The Japanese Tengu mask

The Japanese Tengu mask represents a demon with a big nose, it is very well known in the Japanese folklore. Indeed, you have surely seen this mask in many mangas! In Demon Slayer for example where we can see Sakonji Urokodaki (Tanjiro’s trainer) wearing a Tengu mask. It represents the mountain and it is considered as a yokai or a kami. There are also the samurai mask and the kitsune mask