An
aikyôgen kneels at center stage to deliver his tale (katari)
in Izutsu. His vest (kataginu) of patterned
material creates an informal effect. [GloPAD #1000601]
ADO アド
Noh: Secondary role for kyôgen actor(s). Compare omo,
waki. [KWB]
AIKYÔGEN 間狂言 ["interlude
kyôgen"; also known as ai アイ]
Noh: The kyôgen actor who appears.
Aikyôgen usually perform an "interlude" between the two acts, but they may also appear within an act (e.g. Miidera, Dôjôji). [KWB]
An
aikyôgen kneels at center stage to deliver his tale (katari)
in Izutsu. His vest (kataginu) of patterned
material creates an informal effect. [GloPAD #1000601]
In Kamo , the aikyôgen plays the role of a subsidiary
deity of the Kamo Shrine. Here he is in the midst of a lively, light-footed
dance, which matches the humor in his wrinkled, bearded noborihige
mask. The plain color of his cloak (mizugoromo) is
offset by the brilliance of his tall hat (zukin). [GloPAD
#1000714. Photo by Karen Brazell.]
This omoai mimes ringing the temple bell within the play
Miidera. He wears a servant's cap (zukin) over
a kimono and kyôgen trousers with leggings (kukuri-hakama).
[GloPAD #1001531. Courtesy of the Noh Research Archive of Musashino Women's
College.]
ASAKURAJÔ 朝倉尉
["old men"]
Noh: A mask representing an old man. The broad bone structure,
outgoing glance, slightly smiling mouth disclosing two rows of teeth, and the
implanted hair for mustache (as opposed to painted) all lend the mask a rustic,
healthy look, contrasting with the elegant dignity of the old man's mask, koushijô.
The open expression of the mask recommends its use for roles of old fishers
or farmers in the first act of warrior plays, like Yashima or Tadanori.
The original mask, made by the early 15th century carver Fukarai (see jissaku), is now owned by the Kanze family in Tokyo and designated an Important Cultural Property. One story claims the name for the mask is derived from Fukurai, having presented it to the daimyô Asakura. Other stories behind the origin of the name include associations with poems in the text of Yashima and a pun on the characters used to write the name, making him the "old man of the brightening dawn." The last explanation well describes the personality of the mask. [MB]
ATSUITA 厚板 ["thick board"]
Noh: A thick twill kosode style kimono
worn by men under a cloak. Many have bold, masculine, often geometric designs
woven in with brocade techniques. Atsuita are the basic kosode kimono for male
roles (haku that show only at the collar are worn under
them) and are draped to fit the body snugly with left front panel crossing on
top of the right.
From Yamaguchi
book (r p.10) large broadaxes, facing alternately left and right, float on a
ground of linked hexagons, each containing a flower-diamond.
Atsuita are worn under broad-sleeved cloaks like happi,
kariginu, chôken, and mizugoromo.
For roles of gods, demons, warriors, old men, monks, and ghosts. When the sleeves
of the cloak are hiked up or slipped off one shoulder, the atsuita design comes
into play.
Atsuita under happi with the sleeves hiked up to look like armor. Taira no Tomomori
in Ikarikazuchi. [GloPAD #1002458. Photo from Karen Brazell.]
Atsuita under happi with one sleeve loose. Yoshitsune in Yashima. [GloPAD
#1002076. Played by Kihara Yasuo. Photo from Karen Brazell.]
Atsuita under happi with one sleeve off. The warrior in Yorimasa. [GloPAD
#1001197. Played by Konparu Teruchika. Photo by Karen Brazell.]
Atsuita under kariginu with the sleeves hiked up. Sakanoue no Tamuramaru in
Tamura. [GloPAD #1001060]
Atsuita under chôken with one sleeve off. The warrior in Tadanori.
[GloPAD #1000535. Played by Kanze Tetsunojô.]
Atsuita under chôken with one sleeve off. The warrrior in Michimori.
[GloPAD #1000783. Played by Kanze Hisao. Photo from Carolyn Haynes.]
Atsuita are also worn tucked into pantaloons by kyôgen
servants. In Yamanba, the old crone of the hills wears an atsuita in
tsuboori style over hangiri.
Atsuita
worn in tsuboori style. Yamanba, act 2. [GloPAD #1001290]
On rare occasions for roles of low class old women, the atsuita can be substituted for a karaori and worn in kinagashi style.
In addition to stripes and checks, the ground twill design may be constructed around warp ikat alternating blocks (dangawari) and triangles (uroko), evoking animal scales. Motifs lean towards bold geometric patterns and symbolic figures of Chinese origin, such as dragons with clouds, lions with peonies, and temple gongs (unpan). They have a distinctly masculine flavor, like hatchets, torches, or arrows, and tend to be boldly displayed with strong color contrasts.
A six harness twill woven with unglossed warp and weft forms the ground structure. Atsuita with only stripes or checks are worn by old men, but other atsuita have, in addition to the ground twill, supplementary picture weft designs similar in technique to those on a karaori. The middle layer gold or silver leaf ground pattern repeat tied tightly into the structure of the fabric using a coarse twill is also similar to karaori techniques. What distinguishes these brocade atsuita from karaori is the content and quality of the design motifs. [MB]
ATSUITA-KARAORI 厚板唐織
["brocade robe"]
Noh: A cross between the atsuita
and the karaori worn by young warrior-courtiers.
Yamaguchi (w p. 25)
with design of alternating blocks of checked board ground and pattern of chrysanthemums.
Primarily used for the underrobe (kitsuke) of warrior-courtiers.
This use as an underrobe rather than an outer robe is shared with the atsuita
and occasions its double name. Atsuita-karaori are worn under chôken
or unlined happi by young, elegant warriors like Atsumori,
Kiyotsune, and Tsunemasa.
Overall design layout is similar to the atsuita and karaori. What distinguishes an atsuita-karaori is the motifs, which are neither as bold and geometric as those of the atsuita, nor as gentle, feminine, and floral as those for the karaori. Typical are boats, pines, and decorative fans with light colors and gentle backgrounds.
A three harness twill, like for the karaori, forms the ground. Picture weft designs use a supplementary weft float system, while gold and silver ground patterns are tied into the fabric with a coarse twill brocade system. [MB]
ATSUMORI 敦盛
A noh play. See GloPAD.
AWAOTOKO 阿波男
[literally "foam man"; also written 淡男]
Noh: A mask of the mikazuki type
representing a superhuman god or a revengeful ghost. The round metallic eyeballs,
boney features, and swerving black mustache are all similar to mikazuki. Distinguishing
characteristics lending this mask a quieter, more human expression include no
lower teeth, a pale peach coloring, and a black strip on the upper ridge representing
the line of contact with a lacquer hat, kanmuri. A fine Muromachi period
example, sometimes identified as ryô no otoko, with very human expression is
housed in Shôfukuji, Nara.
All schools but the Hôshô use awaotoko as a substitute for mikazuki for such roles as the god of Sumiyoshi in Takasago and the wraith of Taira no Tomomori in Funa benkei. The Hôshô school awaotoko, written 淡男, belongs to the basic ematiated yaseotoko type with features similar to kawazu. Used only rarely, as a replacement for kawazu or yaseotoko in plays such as Akogi, it portrays the suffering ghost of a man who has drowned, hence the name "awa-otoko," which literally means "foam man." See nômen. Compare to mikazuki and yaseotoko. [MB]
AWASE 合わせ
Noh:
AYAKASHI 怪士
Noh: A mask representing a wraith or a violent god. Also
written as 霊神、網像、危.
Originally interchangeable with mikazuki, it also resembles
it in construction. Round metallic eyes stare out from a bony face. Black wind-swept
eyebrows and mustache lend the mask vital energy, and the brownish ochre color
gives an impression of vigor. The most prominent difference from mikazuki is
the black strip running across the upper rim, delineating where a kanmuri
black lacquer hat rests.
While in the Muromachi period, ayakashi and mikazuki masks were used for the same roles--either gods, as in Takasago, or revengeful ghosts, as in Funa benkei--by the Edo period each of the acting schools had established a tradition of using a given mask type for specific roles. Today, however, all five schools again pick from among ayakashi, mikazuki, and other related masks, that which best suits the actor's intensions.
Variations on ayakashi include the fleshy, humanly rendered chigusa ayakashi, owned by the Kongô school and said to be made by the carver Chigusa (good example owned by Mitsui family, Tokyo); the somewhat troubled shin no ayakashi of the Hôshô school; the ghostly suji ayakashi with proptruding blood vessels; the bulging-eye, large-boned Togô; and the feasome rei no ayakashi with whitish coloring, sunken eyes, and skeleton-like features (a Muromachi period example owned by Hôshô). The latter is particularly well suited to the role of Taira no Tomomori, whose ghost seeks revenge on Minamoto no Yoshitsune in the playFuna Benkei and describes his death in Ikari Kazuki. The Hôshôkai in Tokyo owns a kijiru ayakashi with fine eyebrows with a thin curl at the nosebridge and small, crossed eyes, and is designated an Important Cultural Property. See also nômen. Compare to mikazuki. [MB]
BESHIMI AKUJÔ べし見悪尉
Noh: A mask, also called akujô beshimi, depending
upon the school. A combination of akujô and beshimi
types, beshimi akujô has the massive implanted horsehair above the upper lip,
below the lower lip, and on the chin characteriistic of akujô masks, as well
as the shut, clenched mouth of beshimi. In addition, the metallic gold eyeballs
peering out from behind the thick, furrowed ridges of its eyebrows gives the
beshimi akujô a stubborn, resolute expression. The mask is almost as wide as
it is tall. Similar masks include bearded beshimi(hige beshimi) and white
beshimi (shiro beshimi), which has a white beard and overall features
resembling ôbeshimi. Used as a substitute for ôbeshimi
in Kurama Tengu and Zekai, or for kobeshimi
in Himuro. The Hôshô school owns a fine example from the Muromachi
period that is designated an Important Cultural Property. See akujô, beshimi, kobeshimi,
ôbeshimi, ôakujô, kijinmen,
and nômen. [KWB]
BUGAKU
Court dance imported from the continent before the eighth century. Elaborately costumed and masked figures perform slow, stately dances to instrumental music called gagaku. [KWB]
CHICHINOJÔ ["father old man"]
Noh: A mask representing a cheerful old man. The powder-puff
eyebrows and separate, cord-tied lower jaw (kiriago),
which it shares with okina, mark this mask as one of the
oldest types of noh mask. In early performances of shikisanban, and even today
at performances in Kasuga Shrine and Sumiyoshi Shrine in Hyôgô Prefecture, chichinojô
and okina appear together, with chichinojô representing longevity. The salient
features of chichinojô, which distinguish it from other "okina" masks, are its
upward slanting, almond shaped eyes and its lack of an implanted beard. An excellent
example dated 1316 is housed in the Aoyagi collection, Tokyo. See nômen,
okina men. [MB]
CHÔKEN 長絹 ["long silk"]
Noh: An unlined gossamer dancing cloak with broad, open
sleeves, loosely draping front and back panels, no overlap panels, but decorative
cords on the sleeves and chest. The open, double width sleeves are longer than
they are wide. They are attached to the front and back panels only at the shoulder
(about 15 cm) and otherwise fall free. The collar is sewn directly to the three-quarter
length front panels, with no overlap panel. Long round cords are attached next
to the collar about 10 cm below the shoulder with a butterfly bow, and small
cords form tassels (tsuyu) at the bottom outer corner of the two sleeves.
from Yamaguchi book feminine. (w p.22) chôken with design of butterflies and sedge.
Chôken form the outer dancing cloak for maidens and female ghosts performing
a long instrumental dance. They are placed over the shoulders and allowed to
fall freely, the left front panel loosely crossing over the right and the cords
tied in a large bow at about waist level. The chôken covers either a koshimaki
outfit or a kosode style robe (karaori
or nuihaku) worn with broad, divided skirts (ôkuchi).
Chôken
over koshimaki. Heavenly maiden in Hagaromo, part 2. [GloPAD #1002015]
Chôken
over nuihaku. Warrior in Atsumori. [GloPAD #1001959. Played by Tsuda
Kazushi. Photo from Nomura.]
For elegant warrior-courtiers of the Heike clan, the chôken, draped tightly
and belted at the waist, can replace an unlined happi to
suggest armor. To facilitate sword manipulation, the right sleeve of the chôken
is slipped off the shoulder, folded, then rolled up and tucked into the belt
at the back (nugisage).
Chôken
belted with one sleeve off. The warrior in Tsunemasa. [GloPAD #1000630.
Played by Takabayashi Kôji.]
Alternatively, both sleeves can be hiked up and stitched at the shoulders.
Chôken
belted over ôkuchi with both sleeves hiked up. The warrior in Kiyotsune.
[GloPAD #1000451. Played by Izumi Yoshio. Photo from Monica Bethe.]
Typically, the upper and lower portions have complementary designs, with large patterns above, often crest-like motifs placed in the center back and middle of each sleeve front and back, and scattered small motifs below. Variation is considerable, however, and some chôken have even, overall distribution of patterns. Flower baskets, bouquets, fans, and phoenixes commonly appear above, while plant sprigs, swallows, or small geometric are scattered over the bottom area. Overall patterns tend to combine floral motifs with a geometric grid or arabesque.
The most common weave structure for chôken is ro, a complex gauze, often embellished with weft patterning done in gold-leafed paper strips or colored silk. Chôken may also be woven in plain gauze (sha) with supplementary gold-leafed paper patterning wefts (kinsha), or in figured gauze (kenmonsha) with gold-leafed papper patterning wefts. A few are of thin plain weave of "glossed" or degummed silk, decorated with embroidery. Colors include white, crimson, purple, light and dark blue, moss green, yellows, and browns. Cords are red, yellow, purple, or moss green. [MB]
CHÛJÔ 中将
Noh: A mask supposedly intended to represent the 9th century poet
and courtier Ariwara no Narihira, who gained the court rank of chûjô, or captain
[note 2], at the age of 53. The refined features reflect a well bred man of
sensitivity, with high eyebrows that conventionally indicate someone of high
court rank. Two distinct vertical wrinkles where the eyebrows meet the bridge
of the nose impart a certain sadness. Worn by the shite in the second act of
plays like Unrinin and Michimori,
where the gentle, tragic side of the warrior class is emphasized. Attributed
to Tokuwaka. See nômen. [MB]
CHÛ-NO-MAI 中ノ舞 ["medium-tempo dance"]
Noh: A long instrumental dance (mai) performed in a moderate
tempo. It is considered the "standard" mai and is danced in a wide variety of
plays, including Atsumori.
CHÛNORI 中ノリ ["flying through the air"]
Kabuki and Puppet theater: A technique used in which an actor or
puppeteer and puppet fly through the air suspended from a wire. [KWB]
CHÛNORI(JI) 中ノリ（地）
Noh: Halfmatch, one of the three basic congruent song (hyôshi-au)
rhythms in noh music. Each syllable matches a half beat. It is used for moments
of vigorous intensity, such as the final dances in warrior pieces. [KWB]
DAISHÔ 大小 [literally "large, small"]
Noh: The two hourglass shaped hand drums, which usually function
as a pair. The larger hand drum (ôtsuzumi or ôkawa;
often translated as "hip drum") is held near the left hip and played with the
right hand. The smaller drum (kotsuzumi; often translated
as "shoulder" drum) is held near the right shoulder and beaten with the fingers
of the right hand. The drum strokes combine with drummers' calls (kakegoe)
to create named drum patterns. The hand drums may play alone or accompany the
chanted text or the flute. With a few exceptions (e.g. the ranbyôshi
dance in Dôjôji)
the two hand drums perform together in all rhythmically congruent segments (shôdan)
and in many non-congruent ones. The hip drum player tends to be the leader,
since his drum strokes are more forceful than the more varied and ornamental
strokes of the shoulder drum player. [KWB]
DEI NO KOTOBIDE 泥小飛出
Noh: A mask used to represent a terrestial spirit or a
dragon god. Like other masks of the tobide style, dei
no kotobide has round protruding eyeballs of gold, large ears, a flat nose,
and a mouth that gaps open to show the tip of its large, red tongue. The "dei"
in its name refers to its being painted a greenish gold. Yet unlike most other
tobide-style masks, it does not have a black crown but has tangled, unsettled
hair and furrows between the eyebrows. These features give the mask an overall
animalistic, possessed quality. Often used in place of kotobide
to give a more spirit-like effect for roles like the spirit of the fox in Kokaji,
or in place of a kurohige for the role of a dragon god.
The Kita family in Tokyo owns a good example attributed to Deme Zekan Yoshimitsu
(1527-1616). See tobide, kurohige, kotobide,
ôtobide, kijinmen, and nômen.
[MB]
DEI NO KUROHIGE
See kurohige.
DEIGAN ["gold eyes"]
Noh: A mask representing a mature woman who carries within
her the seeds of supernatural transformation. The gold painted eyes symbolize
her supernatural aspect and are associated in Buddhist theology with the highest
of the five types of vision (gogen), representing enlightenment
on the level of a Buddha. The open curve at the outer corners of the lips, the
white coloring, and the gold trim to the teeth set this mask apart from other
women's masks.
Deigan's reserved and dignified expression is ambiguous: her transformation can be good or evil, depending on the play in which she appears. Originally the mask was created by Tatsuemon (14th century; see jissaku) to represent a dragon king's daughter in the second act of Ama (The Diver) or Taema, but in the late Muromachi period, the fearsome aspects of the mask suggested its use for the living spirit of the jealous Lady Rokujô in the first act of Aoinoue. Good examples include a Muromachi period deigan in a private collection in Tokyo and masks with inscriptions by Zekan, Kawachi, and Echi in the Tokyo National Museum. See also nômen, onnamen. [MB]
DÔBU 童舞
Noh:
DÔJI 童子
Noh: A mask representing a young boy with the fairy-like quality
of eternal youth. The smooth oval face, arched eyebrows, and lack of lower teeth
all contribute to an overall impression of gentle good-naturedness. Dôji is
very similar in form to the mask jidô, being distinguished
primarily by a somewhat narrower breadth, more arched eyebrows, and lack of
dimples on the cheeks. Traditionally used by all schools but Kanze (which uses
jidô) in such plays as Makurajidô
and Kikujidô, where the main character celebrates
an auspicious imperial reign by presenting water from the Fountain of Youth
to the emperor's messenger. Other uses for dôji include the first acts of Iwafune,
Tamura, Kokaji, and
other plays where the innocent features conceal a benign supernatural agent.
The Kongô school model mask (honmen), now owned by the Mitsuii family, is a
fine Momoyama period example with an inscription by the 17th century carver
Deme Genkyû, attributing it (probably erroneously) to the 15th century carver
Chigusa. The expert copier Deme Yûkan Mitsuyasu (d. 1652) also made fine examples.
Variations include dôji with a black rim across the forehead instead of thin
bangs, called kanmurigata dôji. In addition, for such plays as Ôeyama
where dôji later turns out to be a demon, a more rakish mask, shitadashi dôji,
is used. It has a small forehead, high cheek bones, and a leering smile exposing
a bit of the tongue. See nômen. [MB]
DÔJÔI 道成寺
A noh play. See GloPAD.
EBOSHI 烏帽子
A type of black (occasionally gold) lacquered hat with various styles, worn
by priests, warriors, noblemen, SHIRABYÆSHI, and others. [MB]
Photos 1.18, 2.24, 2.32, 2.42-44, 3.49, 3.53, 3.64, 3.96
FUDÔ 不動
Noh: A mask representing Fudô Myô (Acalavidy 較楽a),
one of the five guardian figures of esoteric Buddhism (mikyô). The scowling
eyebrows, sharply upturned eyes with metal eyeballs, golden fangs against a
bright red tongue in a snarling mouth, and the taught face muscles all express
the fearsome aspects of Fudô. While the eight graphically incised curly locks
are painted yellow, the face itself is cobalt blue.
This mask is used for the role of Fudô in the play Chôbuku Soga, where the guardian appears to promise that revenge will be properly carried out. The play remains in the repertory of the Kongô, Kita, and Hôshô shcools. While the Hôshô school has a fine example by the carver Kobô, the Kongô treasures one with an inscription date of 1594 known as "Fudô with flesh" niku tsuki fudô, because the resin marks on the back appear as if the actor's flesh was stuck to the mask. Various legends ascribe this mask to being remodeled from a statue of Fudô. Other variations include a large sized mask (ôfudô), one with prominent fangs (kiba fudô), and weeping fudô (naki fudô).
For the plays Kuzu and Arashiyama, another mask copied from a Buddhist deity, zaô, can be used. The angry look and wide open eyes, bumps between the eyebrows, large ears, and curly hair seem modeled from the statue of Kongô Za`ô Gongen at Mt. Kinpu in Yoshino. See also nômen. [MB]
FUKAI ["deep"]
Noh: A mask representing a middle-aged woman torn by separation from
a loved one, either man or child. Gentle and mature, fukai's face is filled
with a melancholy that comes from experience and feeling. The features are deep
cut, with crevices along the lower cheeks and deep-set eyes with heavy eyelids
and drooping corners. The well modulated lips neither smile nor frown. The fleshy
face has a protruding forehead and chin, creating a slightly concave silhouette.
The hairline is the same as wakaonna.
The writings of Zeami mention a fine fukai by the carver Echi, possibly the very same as a Muromachi period mask presently owned by the Kanze family. Fukai is the standard Kanze school mask for roles of mothers who have lost their child in plays like Sumidagawa (Sumida River) or Fujito; wives separated from their husbands in plays like Kinuta (The Fulling Block); or other middle-aged woman roles, like the mountain woman in the first act of Yamanba.
Fukai masks come in a spectrum of ages, the oldest being labeled yuki no fukai (snow); the next, tsuki no fukai; and the youngest,
Hana no fukai (flower). The Hôshô school has a special variation, asai (shallow). [MB]
FUSHIKIZÔ ["knotted zô"]
Noh: A mask representing a mature young woman. A bear suggestion
of a smile lingers on the lips of this beautiful mask with high forehead (not
as broad as ko-omote or magojirô)
and smooth cheeks. The oval outlines of the face and wide-set eyes, high eyebrows,
and hair style (two loose strands emanating at the part and pulled back above
the eyebrows, where three new strands begin to fall down along the side of the
cheek, and three extra strands loop across the juncture) are almost identical
with the features of wakaonna, a young woman's mask
used by the Kanze school. Fushikizô has a joyous sobriety, the horizontal brush
strokes of the final coat of gofun lending the mask a reserved and dignified
expression. A resin stain from a knot in the wood at the nose bridge forms the
identifying feature of the original mask and inspires its name. This "blemish"
is often simulated in copies of the mask.
This original is said to have been carved by Zôami Hisatsugu, a prominent Ômi sarugaku actor of the late 14th, early 15th century who was admired by Zeami for his graceful dancing. The Hôshô school uses fushikizô as their standard mask for young woman shite roles in such plays as Nonomiya (The Shrine in the Fields), Izutsu (The Well), Eguchi (The River Mouth), or Yôkihi (Yang Gui-fei). Other schools may use fushikizô as a substitute for zô in roles of angels or divine women.
See also nômen, wakai onnamen. Compare to ko-omote, magojirô, wakaonna fushiki zô, mambi, ômionna. [MB]
GIGAKU
A performing art imported in the sixth century that included a procession of masked figures followed by dances and mimes accompanied by flutes, drums, and cymbals. The lion dance (shishi mai) was a featured part of the performance.[KWB]
HACHIMAKI 鉢巻 ["headbands
worn mostly by men"]
Noh: White headbands tied in the back are worn over the masks of warriors.
Kabuki: Headbands are worn in a variety of male and a few female roles and may be tied in the front.
[KWB] Photos 1.4, 1.6, 2.10
HAKAMA 袴
Soft pleated trousers worn by musicians, stage attendants, and some characters
in all theater genres. Kyôgen hakama are usually patterned. Hakama may be ankle
length (hanbakama) or very long (naga-bakama). They differ from
ôkuchi and hangiri by the lack
of stiffeners in the back panels and the generally slimmer line. [KWB]
Photos 1.6, 2.35, 2.53, 3.12, 3.47, 3.50, 3.88
HAKU 箔
HANAKOBU AKUJÔ 鼻瘤悪尉
["bumpy nose fierce old man"]
Noh: A mask representing a fierce, old man. Tensely furrowed
eyebrows, which create a large, deeply carved V-shaped crease, converge at the
top of a prominent nose with a distinctive double bump. Veins run down both
sides of its forehead. Tan horse hair implanted below the nose, below the lip,
and on the chin surrounds the half-opened mouth baring a large set of gold metal
upper teeth. The tip of the tongue is just visible. Large for a mask, the coloring
is a light earthy yellow. Often used instead of ôakujô
for the role of a dragon god who performs a gaku dance in
the second act of Shirohige, Ôyashiro, and Tamanoi.
Attributed to Suminobô. See akujô, ôakujô,
kijinmen, and nômen. [MB]
HANGIRI 半切り
Brocade, divided skirts with pleats in front and stiffened backs, decorated
with bold designs in either brocade or embroidery with gold or silver leaf imprint.
They are worn by strong men and deities. Compare ôkuchi
and hakama. [KWB] Photos 1.16. 1.23,
2.40, 3.6
HANNYA 般若
Noh: A mask representing a female serpent-demon filled with malicious
jealousy and hatred. Two sharp horns sprout from the temples, and bulbous, metallic
eyes lie half hidden beneath scowling brows. The gaping mouth is full of gold
teeth, with upper and lower fangs that heighten her ferocity. The flesh tone
of the face varies depending on the social rank of the woman portrayed, with
a lighter complexion (shiro hannya) indicating aristocratic
status, light on top and red below indicating lower-class humans, and totally
red (nikushiki hannya) for true demons. Worn by women
betrayed or spurned by their lovers who turn into serpent demons, such as in
Aoinoue and Dôjôji, or by demons who first appear in human
form to trap the unwary, as in Kurozuka (Adachigahara) and
Momijigari.
Several traditions account for the name "hannya." The most plausible account traces the origins of the mask to the mask carver Hannyabô, who was active in the late 15th or early 16th century. A fine Muromachi period hannya mask is property of the Eisei Bunko in Tokyo; another is property of the Hôshôkai, Tokyo.
See nômen, onryô. Compare ja, hashihime, namanari. [MB]
HAPPI 法被 ["men's jacket"]
Noh: A broad-sleeved outer cloak for men with straight
collar and cloth strips connecting the front and back panels at the hemline.
Unique to the noh stage, the happi has double width open sleeves that form a
square. They are attached to the main panels only at the shoulder. A six to
seven centimeter width strip of cloth, the distinguishing characteristic of
this garment, connects the front and back body panels. Since there are no overlapping
panels in front, the collar hangs straight down.
Happi are either lined (awase), or unlined (hitoe).
Happi are worn over broad divided skirts like hangiri
and ôkuchi and belted at the waist. The ghosts in Nishikigi
and Matsumushi wear an awase happi over an atsuita
and hangiri.
Lined
happi, rolled up and tucked into the belt over hangiri? The ghost in Nishikigi.
[GloPAD #1000536]
The demons appearing in Ôeyama and Tsuchigumo are dressed similarly, while the warriors who vanquish them wear their happi over ôkuchi.
Unlined?
happi over hangiri? The demon in Tsuchigumo. [GloPAD #1001081]
With the sleeves hiked up, the awase happi can be made to suggest armor for
winning warrior roles like Yashima, Ebira, and Yorimasa.
Unlined?
happi. The warrior in Ebira. [GloPAD #1000595]
Lined
happi with one sleeve off. The warrior in Yorimasa.. [GloPAD #1001197.
Played by Konparu Terachika. Photo by Karen Brazell.]
Lined
happi with sleeves hiked up to suggest armor: the vengeful ghost of Taira no
Tomomori in Funa Benkei, act 2. [GloPAD #1001799]
Unlined happi, which have gentler designs, are worn by loosing warriors with
aristocratic sensibility in plays like Atsumori, Kiyotsune,
or Tomonaga. Here they form an alternative to the chôken.
Unlined
happi with one sleeve slipped off, worn over ôkuchi or hangiri for warrior-courtiers.
Yoshitsune in Yashima. [GloPAD 100#2076. Played by Kihara Yasuo. Photo
from Karen Brazell.]
Lined: strong, bold, large patterns, often geometric or of Chinese influence like dragons and clouds on backgrounds of white, dark or light blue, olive, purple, brown, or black. Unlined: gentle patterns like floral arabesques and insects; undulating lines on backgrounds of white, blue, or purple.
Essentially the same as kariginu. Lined: satin weave with gold, brocades like kinran and nishiki. Unlined: gauze with color weft patterns, leno with gold patterns. Plain color. [MB]
HASAMI KUSA 挟草
Noh: A hand prop constisting of a stick with grasses or
reeds attached. [KWB] Photos 2.5, 2.7-8
HASHIGAKARI 橋掛り
["bridgeway"]
Noh: The roofed walkway that extends on a slight diagonal from the
back of the stage to a curtained exit at stage right. Three pine trees (wakamatsu)
are placed in front of this walkway. [KWB] Photos 1.11,
2.1, 2.13, 2.29
HASHIHIME 橋姫 [literally "bridge princess"]
Noh: A mask representing a jealous woman who seeks revenge. Named
after a lost play that literaly translates as "Bridge Princess," Hashihime is
heir to a complicated mix of oral and written traditions. The theme of a spurned
woman haunting a bridge makes its appearance in such works as the poetry anthology
Kokin Wakashû (905/914) and The Tale of Heike (Heike monogatari,
13th century). The version that seems to supply the basis for the mask, and
is incorporated into the noh play Kanawa, relates how a woman, enraged
by jealousy, goes to the Kibune Shrine and petitions the gods to turn her into
a demon so that she can have revenge. Her thick furrowed brows cast a shadow
over intense metallic eyes that stare straight ahead. The pale forehead gives
way to dark reddish brown on the lower half of the face, symbolizing her extreme
anger. Gold painted teeth are clearly visible in a grimacing mouth, and disordered
strands of painted hair on the forehead and cheeks heighten the impression of
intense emotional turmoil. The 15th century carver Yasha is known for his beastial
masks, including hashihime. A Muromachi period mask designated an Important
Cultural Property and serving as a model (honmen) for
later copies is owned by the Hôshôkai, Tokyo. See nômen,
onryômen. Compare to hannya. [MB]
HATACHI AMARI 二十余
["barely twenty"; also written 廿一.]
Noh: A mask representing the resentful ghost of the young
fisher in Fujito, who has been murdered by the general to whom he disclosed
a secret water passage. The name derives from a passage in the play, and the
mask, like kawazu, was created specifically for the role.
Like kawazu and yaseotoko, the gaunt face has protruding
bones, straggly wisps of hair over the forehead and downward looking eyes, and
no lower teeth, giving a sense of passivity and inner torment. Unlike the other
two masks, however, hatachi amari shows a more human aspect in the curve of
his lips, the clarity of the facial hairs (mustache and eyebrows), and most
importantly, the absence of metal in the eyes. See also nômen,
onryômen. Compare to kawazu,
yaseotoko. [MB]
HATARAKI (-GOTO) 働
Noh and Kyôgen: Action pieces. Short dances to instrumental music
that usually include some mimetic action, such as the shouldering of the burden
in Yamamba, or express the state of mind of a
character, as in the kakeri performed in crazed people
plays (kyôran-mono). Varieties include maibataraki (photo
1.23), inori, kakeri, ranbyôshi,
tachimawari.
HEIDA 平太 ["middle aged
man"; also Heita]
Noh: A mask representing a strong warrior in full maturity. Wide
open eyes, thick eyebrows flaring upwards in lines paralleled by a full mustache,
teeth set in readiness, and reddish-brown coloring produce the sun burnt features
of a veteran fighter. A black strip at the upper rim represents the juncture
with a warrior's hat.
Two legends account for the name of the mask, one that it is a semblance of the Kamakura soldier Egara Heita Tadanaga, the other that it combines characters in a famed father and son of the Kajiwara family. Heida and its variations (aka heida, shiro heida, shigara, uno
, hatsuhana, etc.) are the sole representatives of the middle-aged male noh masks and are worn by all schools for victorious warriors, such as Minamoto no Yoshitusne in Yashima, Kajiwara Kagesue in Ebira (The Quiver), and the title Genji warrior in Kanehira. A fine example dated to the 17th century, despite an inscription attributing it to the 14th century carver Tokuwaka (see jissaku), is property of the Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya.
See also nômen, otokomen. [MB]
HIGAKI ONNA
Noh: Two masks, one used in the first act and the other in the second act of the noh play Higaki. Both represent old women, one in living form, the other after death as a suffering ghost. When the beautiful dancer Higaki was close to a hundred, she was asked to draw water for a nobleman and composed a poem on her deed. After death her spirit repeatedly had to draw water using a hot iron bucket and was consequently scalded by the contents.
The first mask, like rôjo, has the hollow cheeks, thin lips, and down-cast eyes of age, but also smooth skin without wrinkles, evoking a lingering beauty. The hair has alternate strands of white and black, as do the thin eyebrows. In contrast to the soft elegance of the living higaki, the ghost higaki has sharper features, with pointed chin, sunken eyes, down-turned mouth, and numerous loose strands of black hair. The rounded eyes with gold painted pupils and the gold tipped teeth make this mask appear like an older version of deigan.
Since both higaki masks are variants of standard masks, rôjo and ryô onna respectively, and used for only one play, examples are rare, but one fine higaki of the second type is property of the Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya.
See also nômen, onna men. Compare to rôjo, komachi, ryô onna, yase onna. [MB]
HIRANORI 平乗 ["ordinary
match"; also known as konori 小乗 ("small match"); also
translated as "standard match," "ordinary rhythm," etc.]
Noh: The most frequently used of the three styles of congruent (hyôshi
au) rhythms, it is also the most complex. The (usually) twelve syllables
of the poetic line (ku) are divided into two semi-stitches
of seven and five syllables and distributed over a (theoretically) eight-beat
musical phrase (yatsu-byôshi). Generally speaking, the seven-syllable
hemi-stitch is distributed among four and a half beats, and the five-syllable
semi-stitch over three and a half beats. However, the effect varies depending
on the type of patterns the drums are playing. With the sparse drum pattern
(mitsuji), the twelve syllables are sung straight with
essentially even weight, but with the "continuous" drum pattern (tsuzuke),
three of the syllables (usually the first, fourth, and seventh) are doubled
in length and a rest is added, resulting in the equivalent of sixteen syllables
distributed over the eight beats.
Greater complexity occurs because the poetic line is often more or less than twelve syllables (e.g. 7/4, 6/5, 4/6, etc), single syllables are often embellished or elongated, and some shorter measures of only two, four, or six beats also occur. There are also stylistic differences among the various schools (ryû) of chanters and drummers. [KWB]
HISHIGI ヒシギ
Noh: The name of a piercing flute pattern that occurs at the beginning of shidai entrance music and...JJ [KWB]
HITAMEN 直面 ["plain face"]
Noh: Acting without a mask, in which case the shite actor
must keep his face neutral so it functions as a mask. Used for youngish, male
characters who are alive in the dramatic present. Old men, men in great suffering,
supernatural males, and all female characters are portrayed with masks. Waki
actors, who never portray women or supernatural beings, always perform without
masks, as do child actors (kokata). [KWB]
A grasscutter (the maejite of Atsumori) is maskless
and holds a sheaf of grass (hasami kusa). He wears a mizugoromo
robe tied with a decorated sash (koshiobi) over a noshime
kimono. There is a stage attendant (kôken) seated in the
background. [GloPAD #1001537. Courtesy of the Noh Research Archive of Musashino
Women's College.]
HITATARE
A matching wide-sleeved jacket with kimono-style collar and long or short hakama. In kabuki, elaborately patterned hitatare are worn under armor (yoroi). [KWB]
HITOE 単
HÔKA 放下
Noh:
HYÔSHI AU 拍子合 ["congruent
rhythm"]
Noh: A song style in which the syllables of the text correspond
to specific beats of the drums. There are thee types: hiranori,
chûnori, and ônori.
IKKAKU SENNIN 一角仙人
A noh play. See GloPAD.
IMAWAKA 今若
IRO イロ（色）
In narrative singing (jôruri), an intermediate mode
of recitation between speech-like (kotoba) and sung (ji)
passages. Often used as a transition between the two styles.
ISHIÔJÔ
Noh: A mask representing an old man. The slightly sunken, drooping
eyes, tense open mouth, and chalky white coloring of the mask depict a pained
elderly man. Both upper and lower teeth can be seen. Tan horsehair is implanted
on the chin, while the mustache and area below the lower lip are painted. Used
by the Kita, Komparu, and Kongo schools in the second act of plays like Saigyô
Zakura and Oimatsu for the spirit of a tree or an elderly god
who dances. For the same plays, the Hôshô school uses the maijô,
and the Kanze school uses the shiwajô. Attributed to
Ishiôbyô Masatomo (14th century; see jissaku). Although
few examples are extant, a well-carved early mask remains at Hakusan Shrine
in Gifu. See maijô, shiwajô, jômen,
nômen. [MB]
IWAFUNE 岩船
A noh play. See GloPAD.
IZUTSU 井筒
A noh play. See GloPAD.
JA ["snake"]
Noh: A mask representing a serpent with long horns and gaping fanged mouth. [MB]
JI (UTAI) 地謡
Noh: The chorus composed of six to twelve shite
actors. Also, the text that is chanted by the chorus.
Kyôgen: A smaller group of kyôgen actors serve as the chorus when one is needed.
In jôruri, ji refers to sung sections as opposed to kotoba
and iro. [KWB] Photo 2.12
JIDÔ 慈童
Noh: A mask representing a sprite who possesses the elixir of long
life. The mouth and eyes curl into a smile accentuated by dimples in the full
cheeks. Wispy eyebrows swerve up at the outer corners and strands of hair fall
down over the forehead. Created earlier than dôji and primarily
for the role of the seven-hundred-year-old youth appearing in Kikujidô
and Makurajidô, jidô is the Kanze school alternative
to dôji. Today, however, actors of all schools may choose
between either mask type according to their interpretation of the role. Jidô
may also be used for other Chinese youths, like the "drum boy" who descends
from the stars to dance in Tenko (The Heavenly Drum). The Kanze family in Tokyo
owns a fine Muromachi period example with the name of the mask maker Tatsuemon
carved in the back of the forehead, though this inscription is likely to be
a later addition. [MB]
JINEN KOJI 自然居士
A noh play. See GloPAD.
JISSAKU 十作
The name used by Edo period noh mask makers for a group of ten legendary mask carvers of earlier times. Some of the figures are strictly legendary, while others seem to belong to actual persons from the Muromachi era. [TJY, Noh kyôgen jiten]
JITORI [also known as jidori]地取り
Noh: Repetition by the chorus (ji) of the words of a shidai. [KWB]
JIUTAI [also ji]
Noh: The noh chorus composed of six to twelve shite actors. Also the text chanted by the chorus. A smaller group of kyôgen actors serve as the chorus when one is needed in kyôgen. [KWB]
JÔRURI 浄瑠璃
Originally the name of the heroine of a sung narrative composed in the 16th
century, as well as the style of music used for that piece. Jôruri came to be
a general term for the puppet theater and for various styles of narrative music
for shamisen and voice associated with the puppet and the kabuki theaters. [KWB]
JÔZA 常座 ["fixed position"]
Noh: The stage-right, back corner of the stage closest to the bridgeway
(hashigakari) where the shite often stands. Often
translated as "shite spot." [KWB] (Image of stage plan
) Photos 2.5, 2.14, 2.17
JÛROKU 十六
Noh: A young man's mask. Jûroku is "sixteen." [KWB]
Photos 2.9-10
KAGEKIYO 景清
A noh play. See GloPAD.
KAGEKIYO 景清
Noh: A mask used in the play Kagekiyo and representing the
aged Taira warrior, Kagekiyo, who is said to have gouged out his eyes on loosing
to the Genji in battle. Exiled to the province of Hyûga, he spends his days
in desolation. When his daughter seeks him out, he is so ashamed of his destitution
that he at first refuses to reveal himself, but later tells her the tale of
his last battle. Five distinctly different masks of a blind old man are used:
The Kanze school rendition has a broad, bony face with eyebrows, mustache, and
beard sketched in with fine black lines. The Kongô mask, though much leaner,
more suffering, and crossed with bulging veins, shares the painted features
suggestive of a deathly spirit. In contrast, the Hôshô and Kita renditions have
realistic hair for mustache and beard, while the Konparu has hair for the beard
only. All three of these have wrinkle-lined faces that express both the pain
of starvation and loneliness and the lingering dignity of a great soldier. While
the Hôshô mask has deep, sculpted furrows, the Kita and Konparu have lightly
etched wrinkles. The earliest kagekiyo masks were made by 15th century carvers
Tokuwaka and Hôrai. See nômen, otokomen.
[MB]
KAGETSU 花月
A noh play. See GloPAD.
KAKEGOE 掛声
Noh: Calls made by the drummers that serve as signals between the drummers and to the singers or the flutist to keep everyone together. They also signal changes in tempo or strength to mark the rhythm.
There are four calls: yo, ho, iya, and yoi. Yo and ho occur regularly in both ground (ji) and head patterns (kashira) and are usually written ya and ha in musical scores. Yo is delivered before the first and fifth beats; ho, before the second, third, sixth, seventh, and sometimes the eighth beats. Iya and yoi are most frequent in head patterns. Iya is uttered with odd numbered beats; yoi occurs on beat two and a half. [KWB]
KAKERI カケリ（翔リ）
Noh and Kyôgen: An action piece (hataraki) danced about the ghosts of warriors (shura-mono) or mad people (kyôran-mono) to depict suffering or distraction. [KWB]
KAMISHIMO [sometimes read as jôge] 上下
A costume with a broad-shouldered vest (kataginu)
and matching, ankle length hakama. Worn by musicians,
chorus, chanters, and puppeteers, as well as by male characters. Photos 2.12,
3.6, 3.34, 3.38. Kyôgen kamishimo have narrower kataginu, which do not match
the patterned kyôgen hakama. Photos 2.15, 2.42-44. Compare naga-kamishimo.
[KWB]
KAMO 加茂 (賀茂)
A noh play. See GloPAD.
KANTAN OTOKO 邯鄲男
["man from Kantan"; also known as Kantan 邯鄲]
Noh: A mask originally made for the role of Rosei in the play Kantan.
Travelling in search of enlightenment, Rosei naps at an inn, where he rests
his head on the pillow of kantan and sees himself in a dream as great and powerful.
On awaking, he realizes it was only a vision, and reconciled to his life, returns
to his native village.
The mask is modeled so subtle movement evokes expressions both of his melancholy skepticism and enlightened clarity. Furrows line the tensed eyebrows and rounded eyes look down, but the cheeks are full and muscular, and the mouth has a hint of a smile exposing two rows of half-blackened teeth. The small black mustache and eyebrows line the ridges formed by the lips and bone structure. Compared with the delicate features of masks for noblemen, like chûjô and atsumori, kantan otoko has the strength of a commoner. It is this strength, and clarity of expression when the lines of trouble above the eyes are covered by headgear, that inspired the use of this mask since the Momoyama period for roles of vigorous gods such as Sumiyoshi Myôjin in the play Takasago. It can also be used for the commoners in Ominaeshi and Utaura.
The mask type is said to have been created by the 15th century carver Tokuwaka. See also nômen, otokomen, wakaotoko. [MB]
KARAORI 唐織 ["(Chinese) weave"]
Noh: A brocade kosode-style kimono with feminine designs, worn mostly by women. It can be used also as an undergarment for young courtier-warriors and sprites.
Karaori with daffodils against a stylized wave pattern of rounded hexagons. (r p.20)
A basic garment for women's roles, the karaori can be worn either as an inner or as an outer robe, either straight or tucked up.
In the first half of a noh play where there is little energetic movement, for women of the locality the karaori is generally draped in kinagashi style, pulled snug around the hips and legs, but allowed to form a wide v at the neck line.
Kinagashi-style.
Lady Rokujô, Nonomiya, act 1. [GloPAD #1000829]
The front panels are crossed closer to the neck when the karaori functions as an undergarment. Women, working or travelling, and old women wear mizugoromo cloak over the karaori.
A warrior-courtier may wear a chôken to emphasize his elegant refinement.
Karaori
worn as an undergarment (kitsuke) by a warrior-courtier,
Kiyotsune. [GloPAD #1002160]
Women deranged from excess emotional strain and women doing physical labor,
like rowing, slip off the right sleeve of the karaori and allow it to hang at
the back (nugisage). This exposes the haku
undergarment.
Nugisage: karaori
with sleeve slipped off for work. The courtesan who rows the boat in Eguchi,
act 2. [GloPAD #1000124]
Court ladies in semiformal attire wear broad divided skirts (ôkuchi) and often have a karaori draped over them, tucked in at the waist, as a kind of jacket (tsuboori).
Tsuboori:
karaori tucked up at the waist and draped over ôkuchi. Main courtesan and incarnation
of the boddhisattva Fugen, Eguchi, act 2. [GloPAD #1001249]
Spirites and princess are dressed similarly. A similar tucked-up draping (tsuboori)
can be worn directly over kosode to suggest a court lady's outdoor wear or a
disguising? gown of a vengeful jealous woman. In the latter case she throws off the robe to expose her serpentine nature when attacking her victim.
Tsuboori
worn over kosode. Dôjôji, act 1. [GloPAD #1001813]
The ground twill of a karaori is either a single color, or follows typical Muromachi period design schemes, such as alternating blocks (dangawari) forming a large checkerboard pattern, created by tie-dyeing the warp (ikat) into bands of color. The design repeats may fit into the ground blocks, overlap the borders, or ignore them completely. Floral motifs predominate. These are combined with birds and other animals, objects like fans, shells, poem papers, carts, baskets, and fences. Many of the motifs have their origins in Heian period decorative designs and thereby evoke a distinctly Japanese sensibility.
A supplementary picture weft with long floats of soft, glossy silk is worked into a three-harness twill ground of unglossed silk warp and weft. Since the repeat is large (approximately half or the whole width of the cloth squared) and the colors varied with each repeat, the overall effect is pictorial. An additional pattern layer may appear between ground and supplementary picture weft in the form of a ground repeat, typically done with thin strips of gold or silver paper and tied down by warp threads in a coarse twill. Although the three-harness twill is standard, many weavers today, and some in the Edo period, used more harnesses. [MB]
KARIGINU 狩衣 ["hunting cloak"]
Noh: A broad-sleeved outer cloak with round, overlapping
collar worn by nobles and male gods. Open sleeves are double width, approximately
square, and sewn to the front and back panels, which are not sewn to each other
below the sleeves. The stiffened round collar stands up about two centimeters
and is fastened on the right side with a tying cords. Round braid cords (often
double) decorate the edge of the sleeves. Some are lined (awase),
and some are unlined (hitoe). Kariginu are worn belted
and draped over broad divided skirts (ôkuchi or hangiri).
Lined kariginu are worn by ministers, strong gods, and goblins (tengu)
in such plays as Tsuruhime, Yôrô, Takasago, Chikubushima,
and Kurama Tengu.
Kariginu
draped over ôkuchi. The god of Sumiyoshi in Takasago. [GloPAD #1001040]
Unlined kariginu are used by ministers and elegant courtiers in plays like
Genjô, Tôru, Unrin, and Suma Genji, as well
as for the spirits of old trees (Saigyô Zakura, Yugyô Yanagi).
Kariginu
draped over sashinuki?. The spirit of emperor in Genjô?
[GloPAD #1000162]
Kariginu
with sleeves hiked up. Sakanoue no tamuramaru in Tamura. [GloPAD #1001060]
Shike and yore kariginu are the garb of low class god-kings, such as the shite in Kasuga Ryûjin and Utaura.
1. Lined: solid grounds of white, scarlet, navy blue, grayish blue, and bottle
green with large scale bold designs. Okina kariginu has
a special brocade design of linked hexagons and squares known as shokko.
2. Unlined: solid grounds of white, light blue, navy, and light green decorated
with soft, pictorial patterns or with elegant patterns of the Heian nobility
(yûshoku). Shike and yore kariginu have earthy color combinations
of browns and dull greens.
3. Cords are red, olive green, or white.
Awase kariginu (lined):
from Yamaguchi(R) book (p.24) Awase kariginu
1. Satin (shusu) with large designs done with gold leaf paper woven in.
2. Kinran, or repetitive gold designs woven into a twill base.
3. Nishiki, brocade on a twill base.
4. Figured satin (donsu).
5. Double weave appearing as patterned plain weave on either side.
Hitoe kariginu (unlined):
from Yamaguchi(w) book (p.29) Awase kariginu
1. Three-harness ro, a comlex gauze with designs woven in with gold leaf
paper strips (rokin), or a combination of glossy colored threads and
gold. Some have, in addition, a background design in the gauze structure.
2. Plain weave ground with design in sha
gauze (sukimonsha).
3. Designs done in glossy colored thread on a sha
gauze ground (monsha).
4. Unadorned, coarse, plain weave silk (shike).
5. Net-like, unevenly distributed plain weave (yore).
[MB]
KASHIRA 頭（仮髪）
Noh: A large, wildly flowing wig worn by supernatural beings in noh
and noh-related works. Varities are white (shirogashira), photos 1.23, 2.37;
red (akagashira), photos 1.16, 1.24, 2.35; and black (kurogashira), photos 2.24,
2.26.
Puppet theater: Kashira is the general term for puppet heads. [MB]
KASSHIKI 喝食
Noh: A mask representing a Zen temple boy in training who serves
in the mess room and also entertains. The mask shows a youth of between 12 and
17 years of age, very sweet with a feminine attraction seen in the bangs and
curl of the lips and dimples in the cheeks. The eyes are typical of young men's
masks with slightly rounded pupils and the eyebrows rise up pertly. Two styles
of bangs, either straight across the forehead (Ôkasshiki such as the Muromachi period
example in the Hôshô collection designated an Important Cultural Property),
or flaring out like a ginko leaf (Ichô kasshiki, such as the Muromachi period
mask owned by the Kanze school), characterize two styles of Kasshiki mask. The
latter are further classified by size. Today the three types are known as "large,"
"medium," and "small," which is intended to suggest gradations of age of the
role as well. Three plays use Kasshiki masks: Jinen Koji,
Togan Koji, and Kagetsu.
In all three the main actor, as lay priest or temple boy, performs a dance while
beating a drum tied to his waist. The earliest mask is attributed to the 15th
century carver Tatsuemon. A fine example with inscription attributing it to
the late 15th century carver Haruwaka is designated an Important Art Work. See
also nômen, otokomen. [MB]
KATAGINU 肩衣
A vest with broad shoulders worn with hakama. Worn
by musicians and puppeteers as well as by characters. The kyôgen kataginu is
somewhat narrower. [MB] Photos 2.12, 2.15, 2.42, 2.43, 2.53,
3.6
KATARI 語り
A relatively long, spoken, narrative passage. [KWB]
KAWAZU 蛙 ["frog"]
Noh: A mask representing a ghost of a man of commoner rank
that strongly suggests a frog, from which it gets its name. Round, widely spaced
eye sockets set in prominent, high cheekbones impart a rather haggard expression.
Color for the face varies from mask to mask, ranging from greenish white to
light tan. The limply tossled hair painted on the forehead suggests recent emersion
from water and contributes to the overall impression of bedragglement. Worn
by the ghost of a fisherman seeking retribution in Fujito, and in place
of yaseotoko for suffering ghosts, who having hunted
for fished during life broke the Buddhist commandment against killing, in such
plays as ,em>Akogi and Utô (The Bird Catcher). The Kanze branch family
ownes a Muromachi period model mask (honmen) designated
Important Cultural Property and bearing a later inscription ascribing the mask
to the 14th century carver Himi. See nômen. Compare yaseotoko.
[MB]
KIJINMEN 鬼神面
Noh: A mask representing strong gods
who dispel evil, and animal spirits, and Buddhist deities, particularly as used
in the noh theater. All kijin masks have an exaggerated sense of violent movement,
large ears, and metallic gold eyeballes and teeth. Within the kijin mask category,
there are several sub-categories: tobide (bulging eyes)
strong gods with visible tongues, open mouths, and eyes that pop out; beshimi,
demons with clenched mouths; akujô fierce, old men;
tenjin; and animals such as shikami,
shishiguchi and yakan. While
the types of kijinmen used in the noh theater were mostly produced and perfected
in the Kamakura period (late 12th to 14th century), the first kijinmen can be
found before noh theater began. Precursors to kijinmen were used in rituals
to exorcise evil spirits and sickness (see gyôdômen). The
strong clenced mouth of beshimi and the tongue sticking out of tobide probably
date back to such rituals and functioned as devises to scare away evil spirits.
Influences of older traditions can be seen: tobide and tenjin hark back to Chinese-derivitive
bugaku, masks, tenjin and akujô are influenced by dragon masks,
and beshimi and shishiguchi derive from gigaku masks of the guardian
spirits, konron and rikishi. Many
of the kijin masks are attributed to the 15th century carver Shakuzuru Yoshinari.
Shikami is attributed to the 15th century carver Yasha. See ôbeshimi,
ôakujô, ôtobide, tenjin,
shigami, shishiguchi, and
Yamanba; bugaku masks; gigaku
masks; and nômen. [MB]
KIKUJIDÔ 菊慈童 [MAKURAJIDO] 枕慈童
A noh play. See GloPAD.
KINAGASHI 着流
A method of draping the small-sleeved kimono (karaori)
so that it fits snugly around the body an forms a brocade "v" at the neck. [KWB] Photos
1.19, 2.6
KINDACHI 公達
KIRI キリ（切）
Refers to the final section of an act or play or to the final play in a program.
Noh: If the final section of a play is danced, it may be performed indepently as a shimai.
[KWB]
KITSUKE 着付
KOAKUJÔ 小悪尉
Noh: A mask representing a fierce, old man. Koakujô's features
nose, eyes, high cheekbones, and mouth and overall scale are all of human dimension
and form, resembling those of jômen masks. The metallic
eyes, however, that look straight forward, the red tongue, and the metal plates
lining the upper and lower teeth are common features of, akujô
masks. The stern expression, especially around the mouth, reveals koakujô's
strength of character. In addition to the tan planted horsehair below the nose
and lower lip and on the chin, black and white hair is painted around the upper
lip and above the eyes for eyebrows. The mask is colored a dark, earthy yellow.
Used exclusively by the Hôshô school when other schools use myôga
akujô and amazakuro akujô for roles like the spurned
gardner in Koi no omoni or the dragon god in Nezame or Chôryô.
For the former, the special derivitive mask, omoni akujô,
can also be used. See akujô, myôga akujô, ôakujô,
kijinmen, and nômen. [MB]
KOBESHIMI 小べし見
Noh: A mask representing a demon from hell who dances a fierce dance. A smaller version of ôbeshimi, the compressed scale of its features creates a truly frightening and intense aura. A sharp glare emanates from the protruding, metallic gold eyeballs. The mouth is clamped firmly together and the ends of the mouth curl drawnward without a hint of the playfulness seen in the ôbeshimi. Kobeshimi's dark red color also lends the mask power. Used for fierce gods from the underworld in Ukai, Nomori, and Matsuyama Kagami; for terrifying demons with tremendous powers in Himuro, Tanikô, and Tampû; and to represent a spirit that has fallen into the underworld, as in Shôkun, Shôki, Kôtei. First created by the thirteenth carver Shakazuru Yoshinari by whom a good example is housed today in the Tokyo National Museum.
A derivitive mask reminiscent of a monkey face and called sarubeshimi is used for miscreants under Buddhist law, such as the night bird in Nue, in a Hôshô school variant performance. See beshimi, ôbeshimi, kijinmen, and nômen. [MB]
KOGAKI 小書 ["small writing";
translated as "variant" or "variation"]
Noh: The label for named variant renditions of a play which
incorporate adjustments in text, dance, music, characters, costume and/or props.
The adjustments may be abbreviations, expansions, or insertions. Approximately
85% of the plays (about 170 plays) in the current repertoire have one or more
variation. A single play may have as many as ten variants (e.g. Tôru).
The Kanze school of shite actors currently has the most named variants; the
Konparu school the fewest. The name of the variant is written in small letters
(ko-gaki) beside the title of the play in the program. [KWB]
KOJISHI 小獅子 ["child lion"]
Noh: A mask representing a child lion. see shishiguchi. [MB]
KOKAJI 小鍛冶
A noh play. See GloPAD.
KOKATA 子方 ["child actor"]
Noh: Approximately 60 (ca. 25%) plays have roles designated specifically for child actors, usually the children (sometimes the daughters) of shite actors. These may be child characters (e.g. Sekidera komachi, Kurama tengu) or August characters with small parts such as Yoshitsune (e.g. Funa benkei), an emperor (Hanagatami) or a woman (Shizuka gozen in Shôzon). In a few plays, the child actor is paired up with a tsure (e.g. as dragons in Ikkaku sennin; as a turtle and a crane in Tsurukame). [KWB]
A child actor playing a lost son who in Miidera. [GloPAD #1001527.
Courtesy of the Noh Research Archive of Musashino Women's College.]
Kyôgen: Child actors plays the roles of children (e.g. Ushinusubito), or of non-humans (e.g. a monkey in Utsubozaru; a small mushroom in Kusabira). In non-human roles the child actor wears a mask.
KÔKEN 後見
Noh: Stage attendants who assist actors with costume and props, prompt them, and even take over the performance should an accident occur. Kôken dress in crested kimono (with or without a kataginu vest) and soft hakama. [KWB]
A single kôken seated in his usual spot in Atsumori. [GloPAD #1001537.
Courtesy of the Noh Research Archive of Musashino Women's College.]
Several kôken are required to manipulate the bell in Dôjôji. [GloPAD
#1000073. Photo by Monica Bethe]
KOMACHI
Noh: A mask representing the aged, yet beautiful face of the hundred-year-old poetess, Ono no Komachi. Sunken cheeks and bony forehead are characteristics shared with rôjo, but unlike rôjo, the hair is black, the eyes have a distinctive downward slant, and the face is lined with shallow wrinkles, giving an impression of great age.
The komachi mask is intended for the role of Komachi when she was old in such plays as Ômu Komachi (Komachi and the Parrot), Sotowa Komachi (Komachi and a Stupa), and Sekidera Komachi (Komachi at Sekidera). Variations include rôjo komachi and sekidera komachi.
See also nômen, onna men. Compare to higaki onna, uba, yaseonna. [MB]
KO-OMOTE 小面
Noh: A mask for young women. Used for tsure and some shite roles. [KWB] Photos 1.19, 2.4.
KOSHIMAKI 腰巻
A style of wearing a kimono wrapped around the hips with an under kimono showing at the top. [KWB]
KOSHIOBI 腰帯 ["waist sash"]
Noh and Kyôgen: A narrow sash worn around the waist with
plain or decorated stiff ends hanging down in front. Often worn over a traveling
robe (mizugoromo). [KWB] Photos 2.8, 3.1, 3.6
In the noh play Atsumori, the ghostly warrior sits on a stool to tell
his tale. His robe is tied with a decorated koshiobi sash. [GloPAD
#1001540. Courtesy of the Noh Research Archive of Musashino Women's College.]
In the kyôgen play The Snail (Kagyû), Tarô Kaja brushes aside
the bushes to enter a thicket and find a snail. His kataginu
is tied with an ornamented koshiobi sash. [#2.52]
KOSODE 小袖
KOTOBA コトバ（詞）
Sections of noh and jôruri texts declaimed in speech-like patterns rather than being sung (ji). [KWB]
KOTOBIDE 小飛出
Noh: A mask representing a spirit of a fox or other supernatural
terrestial beings. A gaping open mouth which exposes a wide, red tongue and
both the upper and lower teeth, draws the cheeks upward and makes the circular,
metallic eyeballs jump out to create an overall expression of dauntlessness.
The mask's nose is flat and the painted black eyebrows arch high above the eyes.
Similar to ôtobide in general conception, each of the
features of kotobide is on a smaller scale and it lacks ears. The mask is painted
a dark, red ocher. Used by the fox god in Kokaji (Small Smith) , the
killing spirit Sesshô Seki (Death Rock), and a miraculous fish in Kappo.
An early style kotobide mask lacking a tongue and with a down-turned mouth is
housed in Hakusan Shrine, Gifu Prefecture and can be dated from its insignia
to 1475. Similar to kotobide in size and coloring, but with down-turned eyes,
gold on the teeth and straggly hair across the forehead in place of a black
rim indicating a courtier's cap (kanmuri) is the "monkey,"saru
tobide. It is used to represent the strage beast nue, which has a
monkey head, badger body and tail of a serpent, and appears in the play Nue.
A Muromachi period saru tobide designated Important
Cultural Property belongs to the Hôshôkai, Tokyo. See tobide, kijinmen,
and nômen. Compare to ôtobide, dei
no kotobide. [MB]
KOTSUZUMI 小鼓 ["small
drum"; translated as "shoulder drum"]
Noh: The smaller of the two hand drums is held by the left hand near
the right shoulder and struck with the fingers of the right hand. It produces
a wider range of sounds than the hip drum (ôtsuzumi).
Its drumheads are rather loosely lashed against the drum body and need moisture
to create a fuller, reverberating sound. The shoulder drum player often adjusts
the tension of the cords and blows on the drum heads to give them moisture.
The shoulder drum produces four distinct sounds: [KWB] Photos
1.12, 2.3, 2.32
KU 句
KUKURI-BAKAMA 括袴
Kyôgen: Kyôgen hakama--ankle length, patterned
hakama--tied up just below the knee and worn with leggings. [KWB]
Photos 2.21, 2.31, 2.43, 2.52
KUMASAKA 熊坂
Noh: A mask representing Kumasaka no Chôan, who was a mighty thief.
Although the size and features of kumasaka reveal a strong character, the mask
hints at a touch of comic. Deep grooves shaped like sideway "u" s at both sides
of the mouth empasize the strength with which kumasaka determinedly --almost
ridculously -- clamps his broad mouth shut. The broad face is painted in red
ocher. Great, round metallic eyeballs with large holes for pupils protrude from
beneath a clearly carved forehead heightened by black painted eyebrows. Kumasaka
has a wide flattened nose with flaring nostrils, and ears. Used in Kumasaka
and Eboshi-ori, both of which tell the story of Kumasaka no Chôan.
Similar in expression, but with eyes set somewhat closer together, is chôrei
beshimi. A variation sculpturally similar to beshimi
and painted in dark grey with red outlines in the creveses is kurobeshimi
(black), a Kanze and Konparu mask used for Kumasaka roles and in special performances
of Hashi Benkei and Tsuchigumo. See ôbeshimi
and nômen. [KWB]
KURI クリ
Noh: A short segment with noncongruent singing of metered poetry.
It incorporates the highest set pitch (also kuri) and ends with a long embellished
syllable. [KWB]
KUROGASHIRA 黒頭
See kashira.
KUROHIGE 黒髭 ["black
beard"]
Noh: A mask representing a dragon god which is believed to
live in the sea and have the power to bring rain. The mask's gold eyeballs rest
beneath thick eyebrow ridges of light ochre and, since kurohige rises from the
sea, the pupils look slightly upwards. The lower jaw juts forward, while the
upper jaw is pulled back to create the concave shape characteristic of this
mask. With the mouth open in such a fashion, the mask's wide, large red tongue
and upper and lower teeth are visible. The name derives from the thick, black
mustache and beard. The entire mask is painted a dark skin color. Worn for dragon
god roles in plays like Chikugashima, Kusenoto, Mekari,
Kasuga Ryûjin, and Orochi, and for tsure
dragon roles in Shirahige, Chôryô, Kenjô, and Ôyashiro.
The Kanze family in Tokyo owns a Muromachi period kurohige designated an Important
Cultural Property. This mask has a reddish tint to its earthy coloring and a
red-lacquer insignia attributing it to the 13th century carver Shakazura Yoshinari
(13th century; see jissaku). Essentially the same mask
with a gold ground rather than dark skin color is called Dei no Kurohige, which
is also used for roles of dragon gods. See tobide, kijinmen,
and nômen. [MB]
KURO-TARE 黒垂
A wig with long, black hair hanging straight past the shoulders worn by
male or female deities and the ghosts of warriors. [KWB]
Photos 1.22, 2.10
KUSE クセ（曲）
Noh: A relatively long segment that is the aural highlight of the
play. The chorus (with a single line in the middle by the shite) accompanied
by drums presents important textual material in congruent song moving through
the low, middle and higher registers to conclude back in the low register. The
shite may remain seated (iguse) or dance (maiguse) during this segment. [KWB]
Photo 2.41
KUSEMAI 曲舞
Noh: A medieval, female performance art with a lively rhythm that
integrated song and dance. The noh actor Kan'ami (1333-84) studied with the
kusemai dancer Otozuru (dates unknown) and incorporated the rhythms and structures
of her art into noh. [KWB]
KYÔGEN ["wild words"]
Refers both to the major theatrical genre of kyôgen and to the actors who perform it. Kyôgen actors also perform some roles in noh plays and the interlude (aikyôgen) between acts of noh plays. Kyôgen also refers to play scripts in kabuki. [KWB]
KYÔJO 狂女 ["crazed women"]
Noh: Female characters in noh plays who have become crazed through
obsession or possession. The mother in Miidera is an
example. [KWB] Photos 2. 18, 2.20, 2.22-23
KYÔRAN-MONO 狂乱物
Noh: Crazed-people plays that feature characters who have become
deranged or distraught through the loss of a loved one and who express their
frenzied state through song and dance. Some of the earliest crazed-people plays
were about men, but crazed woman (kyôjo) plays such as
Miidera became more common and make up about three-quarters
of the total. Similar plays occur in kyôgen, i.e. HÇshigahaha. [KWB]
Photos 2.18-23
MAEJITE 前ジテ
Noh: The shite in the first act of a noh play. [KWB]
MAGOJIRÔ 孫次郎
Noh: A mask representing a young woman of some experience.
The gracefully curved mouth forming a slight smile and caterpillar eyebrows
placed high on a broad forehead are reminiscent of ko-omote.
The longish face, somewhat lean cheeks, and simple shape of the eyes with heavy
lids give the mask an open, yet sad expression, which at times takes on a delicate,
dream-like beauty. The black hair parted at the middle has two painted strands
at the front, with two more curving out from just above ear-level. A variant
style magojirô has fuller cheeks and more outgoing expression.
Tradition has it that the model for this mask type, now in the Tokyo National Museum, owned by the Mii family and designated an Important Cultural Property, was carved by the Kongô school actor Kongô Magojirô Ukyôhisatsugi (1538-64) in memory of his deceased wife, though the type may actually go back further. The Kongô school owns several very fine examples of both styles of magojirô and uses them for main (shite) roles of young women, particularly in third category "wig" plays.
See also nômen, wakai onnamen. Compare to ko-omote, wakaonna, fushikizô. [MB]
MAIBATARAKI
Noh and Kyôgen: A vigorous action piece (hataraki) danced
by deities and demons, such as the thunder god in Kamo. [KWB]
MAIGINU 舞衣 ["dancing
cloak"]
Noh: A gossamer woman's dancing cloak with broad, open
sleeves and overlap panels in front, but no decorative cords.
from Yamaguchi(r)
book. (p.23) The front and back panels of which flutter freely during a woman's
dance, the maiginu is secured at the waist.
Worn by women performing long instrumental dances, the maiginu can either be
belted over a koshimaki suit
or draped loosely over broad divided skirts (ôkuchi).
Overall patterns predominate, many reminiscent of Heian court patterns like arabesques, medallions with undulating vertical lines (tatewaku) and flower filled diamond grids.
Like the chôken, maiginu can be woven in gold inlaid leno (kinro), gold inlaid gauze (kinsha) or inlay on figured gauze (kenmonsha). [MB]
MAMBI
Noh: A mask representing a young woman in her first bloom.
Very similar to ko-omote, the mask has full cheeks, thick,
high eyebrows, a broad smile, and heavy chin. Mambi's eyes are less slanted
and more outgoing than ko-omote's, lending the mask a flirtatious charm. The
painting is similar to ko-omote, except that the incised strands of hair at
the edge have only two main strands, thickening towards the bottom, and one
splitting half way down the cheek.
The mask is said to have been created during the Momoyama period as a joint effort of the noh connoisseur at the Kyoto temple Nishihonganji, Shimotsuma Shôshin, and the noh mask carver from the Echizen Deme line, Deme Gensuke Hidemitsu, for the Komparu school as an alternative to ko-omote for main (shite) roles of young women in such plays as Matsukaze (Pinning Wind) and Sôshiari Komachi (Komachi and the Forged Entry). Deme Gensuke Hidemitsu is known as the inventor of such aids to copying old masks as creating cut-out patterns and applying "aging" (furubi) to the outer edges of the features. See also nômen, wakai onnamen. Compare to ko-omote, magojirô, wakaonna fushiki zô, ômionna. [MB]
MASUGAMI 増髪
Noh: A mask representing a deranged young woman, or divine
being. "Tangled hair," such as the wispy strands laying this way and that on
this mask, refers in Japanese poetry to a distraught mind. Other evidence of
perplexity and heightened emotion can be seen in the deep diagonal creases above
the nose bridge, the slight hollows or dimples on the forehead and cheeks, and
the tension around the eyes, nose, and mouth. The lips are pulled in a broad,
but tight smile, and the lower eyelids swerve upward at the outer corners. Thin
eyebrows are faintly visible among the loose strands of hair.
The sense of a heightened state projected by this mask is suitable both for roles of crazed women wandering vaguely, like Sakagami in Semimaru and Tamakazura in a play by the same name, and also for roles where a female goddess dances in ecstasy, as in Miwa, Ema (The Votive Tablets), Tatsuta, and Makiginu (Bolts of Silk). The latter roles can also be performed with zô-onna. Masugami is used by the Kanze, Hôshô, and Kongô schools. Variants include sakagami and unohana onna. The 15th century mask carver Yasha is said to have created the type. An example dated to the 15th century with an inscription by the Muromachi period carver Tatsuemon belongs to the Tokyo National Museum and another is in a private Tokyo collection.
See also nômen, onnamen. Compare to ômionna, deigan, zô-onna, and hashihime. [MB]
MICHIMORI 通盛
A noh play. See GloPAD.
MIIDERA 三井寺
A noh play. See GloPAD.
MIKAZUKI 三日月
["crescent: three moons"]
Noh: A mask representing a vigorous god, such as the energetic
guardian of the seas, Sumiyoshi Myôjin. His dashing majesty mixed with
wildness can be seen in the sharply angled eyes with round metallic eyeballs,
the flowing, crescent-shaped eyebrows and wind-blown mustache surrounding thin
lips drawn back to expose both upper and lower teeth. The lean face has protruding
cheek bones, angular nose and chin, and a bony forehead. Loose strands of hair
hang down the sides, but no hair is indicated along the upper rim of the mask.
Mikazuki is used by all schools of noh for such roles as the god Sumiyoshi Myôjin
in Takasago, the god Kawaranokami in Yumiyawata, and the mountain
god in Yôrô. In certain instances it can substitute for a mask like
ayakashi and be used, for example, for the spirit of
a departed soul in Matsumushi.
Various legends account for the name, including a Hôshô-school explanation that the "three moons" stand for three guardian Shinto gods and the Kanze-school evidence of one of their Muromachi period masks having a crescent-shaped gauge in the forehead. A Kanze record notes that this mask was made by Fukurai and is modeled after the head of Ukisu no Myôjin. See also nômen. Compare to shintai, awawotoko, ayakashi. [MB]
MITSUJI 三ツ地
MIZUGOROMO 水衣 ["waterrobe"]
Noh: A three-quarter length, broad-sleeved robe of light
silk or gauze worn fastened with sash by male characters and hanging loose for
female characters. One of the most widely used robes in noh; worn by travelers
or humble characters at work. Both shoulders may be stitched together in the
back to shorten the sleeves (katageru or kata o toru). [KWB]
These grasscutters in Atsumori (shite and tsure) wear belted mizugoromo
over divided skirts (ôkuchi) and kimono. [GloPAD #1001534.
Courtesy of the Noh Research Archive of Musashino Women's College.]
This grasscutter in Atsumori (the shite) wears a dark, belted mizugoromo
over a plaid kimono (noshime)
worn straight. [GloPAD #1001537. Courtesy of the Noh Research Archive of Musashino
Women's College.]
The crazed mother in Miidera wears a loose mizugoromo with
the sleeves stitched up in the bact to make them shorter. [GloPAD #1001533.
Courtesy of Eileen Katô.]
Kabuki: A broad-sleeve robe borrowed from noh and used for similar characters (e.g. Benkei in Funa Benkei.).
MON-ÔKUCHI 文大口
MYÔGA AKUJÔ 茗荷悪尉
Noh: A mask representing a fierce, old man. The shape of
the eyes with sharp turn upward of the inner corner and slight turn downward
of the outer edge resembles the shape of the plant myôga, zingiber bracts,
from which the mask received its name. The upward swerve of the inner eye corner
makes for a very long nose bridge and impoarts a sense of abstraction. Eyeballs
are inserted metal. A thin-boned nose ends in a point. Horsehair is implanted
for beard and mustache, and the mask painted a bright, earthy yellow color.
Myôga akujô is used for the messanger of the gods in Dômyôji, for the
old wizard in Nezame and at times for the Chinese Chang Liang in Chôryô.
Attributed to the 15th century carver Fukuhara Bunzo. An excellent example from
the Muromachi period with strong features carved from camphor wood is housed
in Shirahige Shrine in Shiga prefecture. A mask with similar use but reddish-white
coloring is amazakuro akujô (sweet perimon evil
old man). Similar but used spcifically for the ghost of the old gardener in
Koi no omoni is omoni akujô. See oakujô,
kijinmen, and nômen. [MB]
NAGA-KAMISHIOMO 長上下
Matching broad-shouldered vest (kataginu) and long
hakama worn by townsmen in kyôgen plays and as informal
samural garb in kabuki. [KWB] Photos 2.15, 2.38, 2.57
NAGINATA 薙刀
NASHIUCHI EBOSHI 梨子打烏帽子
NIBANME MONO 二番目物
NIDAN NO MAI 二段之舞
["two-section dance"]
Noh: The name of a Kanze school variation (kogaki)
for the play Atsumori which shortens the instrumental dance (chûnomai)
to two sections, changes the movements of the final (kiri)
dance, and has the maejite carry a sickle rather than
a sheaf of grass and wear a flower basket on his back. [KWB]
NOBORIHIGE 登髭
A cheerful, bearded kyôgen mask used for deities.
[KWB] Photo 1.20
NÔKAN 能管 ["noh flute"]
Noh: A parallel, bamboo flute (fue)
is the only melodic instrument used in noh. It is played in both congruent and
non-congruent rhythmic styles in entrance music and instrumental dances. In
non-congruent segments, the flute plays set patterns improvisationally. It also
plays in free rhythm (ashirai) along with the chanted text to heighten
or expand emotion. The melody of the flute has no specific pitch relationship
with the melody of the chanting, although there are some similarities in the
general melodic contours of the two. The flute has a narrow bamboo pipe (nodo
or "throat") inserted between the blowhole and the first finger hold. This upsets
the normal acoustic properties of the flute pipe and is responsible for its
"other worldly" sound quality so fitting to the performance of noh.
Mnemonic syllables used to describe the flute melody are known as shôga.
These are not pitch names, but rather suggest the pitch relationships in a note
cluster. In general, the vowels of these mnemonic syllables can be arranged
from higher pitches to lower ones as follows: i, a, o, u. Thus in the cluster
"o-hya," "hya" is higher than "o, and in "ho-u-ho-u-hi", "u" is lower than "ho"
and "hi" is higher than both. [KWB] 
NÔMEN 能面 ["noh masks"]
[KWB]
NOSHIME 熨斗目 A
kimono made of noshime silk.
Noh and Kyôgen: A small-sleeved, silk (noshime)
kimono worn by male characters. Old men {ordinary monks, humble men and women
} wear plain dark-colored noshime; samurai, yamabushi, and maskless characters
wear boldly striped kimono (dan-noshime). [KWB]
The shite, a grass cutter in act one of Atsumori wears a plaid noshime
under a mizugoromo. [GloPAD #1001537. Cortesy of the
Noh Research Archive of Musashino Women's College.]
The aikyôgen standing on the bridgeway in Yamamba
wears a striped noshime under a naga-kamishiomo.
[GloPAD #1000644. Photo by Karen Brazell.]
Tarô Kaja in the kyôgen play The Snail (Kagyû) wears a plaid
noshime under patterned hakama and an unmatched
kataginu vest. #2.53
NUGISAGE 脱下
Wearing an outer robe with the right sleeve off the arm and hanging down
the back. This indicates work or madness. [KWB]
NUIHAKU 縫箔 ["embroidered
soft kosode"]
Noh: A pliant kosode style kimono
with embroidery and gold or silver leaf stencil decorations, and plain silk
linings in red, purple or white.
Nuihaku
as a male undergarment. The warrior-courtier in Atsumori. [GloPAD #1001959.
Played by Tsuda Kazuyoshi. Photo from Nomura.)
Nuihaku can either be draped like a standard kimono, crossed tightly at the
neck, or the upper portion can be folded down at the waist so the sleeves hang
over hips in koshimaki style.
Koshimaki:
Nuihaku worn by women folded down at the waist. The jealous spirit in Dôjôji,
act 2. [GloPAD #1000117]
As such they form a two piece suit worn by jealous spirits, and the moon maiden
in Hagoromo when she does not have her feather robe. (It is also worn
by lower class women and by the spirit of the iris in Kakitsubata)
Koshimaki
under a chôken cloak is worn by young women in male attire
and entertainers, under karaori in tsuboori
draping koshimaki is garb of a shrine priestess.
Although
nuihaku are primarily a woman's garment, they can be worn as an undergarment
(kitsuke) for certain male roles: emperors, young lay
priests (Jinen koji) and acolytes (kasshiki: Kagetsu).
Nuihaku
worn as undergarment. The acolyte in Kagetsu. [GloPAD #1000324]
The majority of nuihaku are plain colored: white, red, dark blue, yellow, golden brown, purple and black being common. Solid gold leaf backgrounds are known as dôhaku and considered particularly high class and elegant. Some nuihaku have broad horizontal bands of various colors and others have alternating blocks of color (dangawari) similar to karaori. Embroidery many cover the entire garment, or may be confused to the lower area, with sparse patterns above. Early nuihaku often have their entire surface covered with decoration, but Edo period ones tend to be less densely covered with more naturalistic pictorial patterns, such as birds, flowers and fans. Scattered roundels on a dark ground are worn by jealous women.
The cloth of all but the pre-Edo period nuihaku in satin (shusu) or figured satin (name, rinzu, donsu). Momoyama period nuihaku tend to be nerinuki, thin plain weave silk. [MB]
ÔAKUJÔ 大悪尉
Noh: A mask representing a strong, fierce old man. Larger
than most masks and kijinmen, ôakujô has a prominent,
slightly hooked nose and metallic eyes that glare out from under a heavy ridge
forming the eyebrow. Sharp tension furrows line the area above the eyes and
on the Kanze school model mask (honmen), veins protrude
in the middle of the forehead. The leering mouth exposes upper and lower teeth
and a curled, red tongue. Implanted hair for mustache and beard lend the mask
a strange realism. Compared to the menacing look of the Kanze school model,
the Hôshô school version appears less threatening. The former is dark, with
vermillion lining the furrows on the brow and cheeks, while the latter is painted
off-yellow, with faint red in the furrows. While the Kanze mask is topped by
a black line, the Hôshô school mask has alternating black and white strands
of hair drawn in at the sides imitative of the implanted hair on old men's masks
(jômen). Deep creases are also found around the mouth,
running vertically down the cheeks. Individual hairs painted in white and black
form the eyebrows and the entire mask is painted in an earthy tan. Worn for
roles of frightful spirits and strong gods in Tamanoi, Naniwa,
Koi no omoni, and Chôryô. In addition to the Kanze and Hôshô
model masks (both Important Cultural Properties), other Muromachi period examples
of akujô include both Kanze (private collection, Tokyo) and Hôshô (Danzan Shrine)
styles as well as unorthodox forms. A version painted entirely in gold is called
dei no ôakujô. See akujô, kijinmen,
and nômen. [MB]
ÔBESHIMI 大べし見
Noh: Also simply beshimi old reading 閉歯見.
A mask representing a tengu who protects others from evil
spirits and demons. The oldest form of beshimi maks,
caracteristically the mouth is firmly clenched and metallic gold eyes appear
to pop out of the face. While the ôbeshimi has an expression of inner determination,
it also has a comical aspect: if ôbeshimi were to unclamp its teeth, it would
break into a smile. Ôbeshimi's tense expression creates deep wrinkles on the
forehead and forces both ends of the eyebrows to curl upward. Flattened nostrils
enlarge the end of the nose. The mask has a rounded jaw and depth of medelling
allows for ears. The eyebrows, beard, and mustache of the mask are painted in
black. Vermillion outlines highlight the creases in the brown skin. Used for
tengu roles in Kurama Tengu, Zegai, Kuruma zô, Dairokuten,
and Daie, where it is worn under a shaka mask
and therefore called shaka shita. First created by
the thirteenth carver Shakazuru Yoshinari. A good standard obeshimi mask is
owned by the Mitsui family, Tokyo, and a fine early Muromachi example with smaller
eyeballs and rounder face belongs to Nara Zuihiko Shrine. See beshimi,
kijinmen, and nômen. Compare with
kobeshimi, kurohige, sarubeshimi,
chôrei beshimi, kumasaka.
[MB]
ÔEYAMA 大江山
A noh play. See GloPAD.
OKINA [also hakushikijô]
Noh: The white faced mask of a happy old man used in noh
and festival performances of the play Okina, also known as shikisanban.
Deep wrinkles form round patterns on his forehead and cheeks. The wavy slit
eyes brim with mirth, and the joyful mouth exposes only a few stubs of teeth.
The chin, severed from the mask and then reattached by means of hemp cords passed
through holes in the upper and lower jaw (kiriago), waggles
as the actor chants his lines and sports a long white beard. Pompoms made of
hemp are glued on for eyebrows. A black horizontal strip at the upper edge of
the mask indicates where it meets a black lacquer hat. Okina masks come from
quite large to considerably smaller than the human face. The oldest mask with
an original dated inscription is the 1477 mask at Istukushima Shrine, Hiroshima.
Many other fine old masks exist, such as the 14th century okina mask in the
Kanze school, Tokyo, designated an Important Cultural Property. See also okina
men, chichinojô, sambasô,
kokushikijô, nômen. [MB]
OKINA MEN
Noh: Proto-noh masks used in the "three-piece" ritual shikisanban,
also known today as Okina. The ritual, which reaches back to important
performances imported from China in the 7th and 8th centuries and incorporated
into court functions, appears in its abbreviated "three piece" form already
in Heian period records. Originally an agricultural purification and fertility
rite, the piece took on Buddhist implications in the Heian period, being performed
by itinerant priests (shushi). By the 14th century, the Sarugaku players (forerunners
of the noh actors) had taken over the performance, and today it is part of the
noh repertory as well as being performed as a part of shrine festivals throughout
the country. The main characters are the white old man okina (or hakushikijô),
celebrating peace on earth; the black old man, sanbasô (or kokushikijô), blessing
the five grains and the fertile ground; and the father old man, chichinojô,
symbolizing longevity. When the Sarugaku players began performing the pieces,
they added a preliminary role of a young man to sweep away evil from the area
(tsuyuharai), who wore the "brother long life" mask of enmeikaja. Today this
role is usually taken by a young, unmasked character, senzai, but as his name
"age of 1000" suggests, the implications are the same. The three basic old man
roles have come to be seen as symbolic of such things as gods of rice, of renewal
and of ancestry; the three central Buddhas; the three rules of Buddhism (the
law, reward and retribution, and obedience); the three religions (Shintoism,
Buddhism, and Confucianism); three Shinto deities (Tenshô Daijin, Hachiman Daibosatsu,
and Kasuga Daimyôjin); or the three races of the world.
Despite a great variety in the texts and performance traditions of the piece, the okina masks found scattered around Japan have distinct similarities. All three old men's masks have separate lower jaws (kiriago) attached to the main mask with a cord. This structural device they share with the bugaku mask of an old man, saizôrô, and with Korean masks, but not with other noh masks. Another similarity with bugaku and Korean masks is the formation of the eyes as open slits, rather than sculpting the eyeball and boring a hole for only the pupil. In addition, the abstract patternization of the deeply carved wrinkles around the forehead and cheeks on okina masks contrasts sharply with the realistic portrayal typical of other noh masks of old men, but is similar to saizôrô. Contrast to other noh plays extends to the use of the masks in performance. While in a standard noh, the mask is donned off stage and the performer allows it to dominate his identity, for Okina, the masks are set up as objects of worship before the performance, carried on stage in a box, and donned during the performance. The actor's carriage and walk change from his own to that of the god in the mask when he puts it on.
The prototypes for okina masks predate all other noh masks by several centuries, early examples being attributed to the carvers (dates unknown) Nikkô, Kasuga, and Miroku. Both the masks and the performance of the Okina pieces laid the foundations for the development of the art of noh performance.
See also okina, chichinojô, sambasô, kokushikijô, nômen. [MB]
ÔKUCHI 大口 [also pronounced
ôguchi]
Noh: Broad, divided skirts made of thick silk with pleats
in front and stiffen backs with large leg openings (ô-kuchi). White
ôkuchi are the most common; red or purple ôkuchi are worn by young female characters,
and green, blue or patterned, by young warriors. Ôkuchi are also worn under
sashinuki and suô trousers. [KWB]
The Shinto priest (waki) in Kamo wear
white ôkuchi under a patterned kariginu
cloak. [GloPAD #1001442. Photo by Karen Brazell.]
OMINAESHI 女郎花
A noh play. See GloPAD.
OMO-AI オモアイ
Noh: Designation for the primary aikyôgen
actor. [KWB] Photos 2.19, 2.21, 2.31
ONNA MEN
Noh: Masks representing women. This category divides broadly
into three types: young, middle-aged, and old, each of which includes examples
of "normal" and "heightened" states of being.
By far the most numerous, the young women's masks have blackened upper teeth slightly exposed between smiling red lips, full cheeks, rectangular pupil openings, high-set eyebrows, and black hair with a white band at the center part. Today they are classified into many subtly distinct characters, each with a name and personality, and used in regulated ways according to the traditions of each school of noh actors. When the type first came into being in the 14th century, however, the early examples were simply referred to as "young woman" (wakai onna) and used, presumably, as the actor saw fit. Zeami (1363-1443?), in his youth, is known to have portrayed roles of young women barefaced, as is still done in kyôgen performances today. Only when older actors began to perform these most demanding and sublime of the roles in noh did masks of young women come into being. The open, ingenuous expression, free carving, and immediacy of the early masks contrast with the highly controlled and prescribed details of the later masks bearing specific names. Although the painting has flaked off many of the early masks, one can make out details not found in later masks, such as eyelashes, the lack of a center hair part, and the absence of individual loose strands of hair lying along the forehead and cheek. The last was to become a highly regulated feature of the named masks and functioned as an iconoclastic identification of mask types. Some striking examples of early wakai onna masks can be found in shrine and temple treasure houses, such as one dated 1469 at Rin'ôji, Tochigi prefecture, or the 15th century mask at Niu Shrine, Nara.
Today, young women masks include the standard masks of each school (ko-omote, magojirô, wakaonna fushikizô, and their variations) used for a wide variety of roles, plus masks with troubled expressions for crazed women (masugami, etc.), sublime expressions for angels (zô), and subtly intense expressions for possessed or divine beings (deigan).
Middle-aged women have leaner faces, with unsmiling lips and heavy eyelids often shadowed by the eye socket bones. Fine 15th century examples, labeled simply "woman" (onna), can be found, for instance, at Suwa-asugi Shrine in Fukui prefecture and Oki Shrine, Shizuoka. Also of note are two broad-faced masks with curling slit eyes, short foreheads, and no white strip at the hair part. One, dated 1291 and reminiscent of both Korean masks and the Okina mask enmaikaja, is an Important Cultural Property owned by Chûsonji in Iwate prefecture; the other, also 13th century, is property of Hakusan Chôryô Shrine, Gifu prefecture.
The advanced age of old women's masks appears in their sunken cheeks and eye sockets, their down-turned lips, the wrinkles lining their foreheads and cheeks, and in white streaks painted into their hair. Uba masks are used for more passive roles, generally the supporting character in the first half of a play, while all the other old women masks (rôjô, komachi, higaki onna, etc.) are used for main roles where the actor performs an instrumental dance, a painfully slow, yet hauntingly beautiful jonomai. Accordingly, the uba masks are gentle, kind, and benevolent, presenting a wrinkled and wisened grandmother, while the other masks expose the inner struggle and suffering of the loss of youth and the approach of death. The latter have strong sculptural affinity to masks of women suffering in hell (ryô onna, yase onna). A twisted, Okina-style old woman mask with attached wig and leering smile exposing missing teeth above and below is housed at Ch\sonji, Iwate prefecture, along with the middle-aged mask mentioned above.
See also nômen. [MB]
ÔNORI 大乗
Wholematch, a type of congruent song (HYÔSHI-AU) in which a syllable is
matched to a whole beat. It usually occurs toward the end of a play. [KWB]
ONRYÔ
Noh: Masks of ghosts and spirits. Although all the onryô masks share
sculptural characteristics, being gaunt, bony renditions of humans with protruding
bones, thin lips, round metallic eyes, and thin straggly hair, they are used
for three distinct types of roles: vigorous gods, revengeful wraiths, and ghosts
tormented in hell.
Vigorous gods, such as Sumiyoshi Myôjin, are most typically represented by mikazuki and its variants, shintai, awaotoko, taka, and hayaotoko. These Shinto gods differ from other, more violent, images of Shinto gods, like tobide and akujô, in being essentially human in conception as opposed to fantastic mythical forms.
Revengeful wraiths resentful of treatment in battle, by lovers, or in politics generally wear masks of the ayakashi type, or derivitives like otoko masugami or nishikigi otoko. Over the years, however, the similarity in structure between the mikazuki and ayakashi types of masks has led actors to substitute one for the other, as suits their particular school tradition or personal interpretation of the specific role. Early masks of the latter type are often labeled ryô no otoko. Many Muromachi period examples can be found in shrines and temples around the country, such as Kasuga Shrine, Fukui; Oki Shrine, Shizuoka; and Hakusan Shrine, Gifu. Like all early masks, these exhibit a greater freedom of carving and variation of expression than later versions, but all share the characteristics listed above.
Parallel women's masks include deigan and masugami for masks that can either be used as goddesses or possessed spirits. In addition, angry spirits who take on the guise of a snake or dragon to carry out their vengeance are represented by hannya and related masks.
The third group, masks of tormented ghosts, center on the yase otoko and yase onna, ryô onna types, with their variations. Of a somewhat later conception from the other two types, these masks also differ in having passive, introverted expressions, seen particularly in the loose, downward turned lips and lack of lower teeth. Appearing almost like a skeleton come to life, these masks have a haunting beauty. The late 15th century carver Himi Munetada (see jissaku) is primarily responsible for creating the tormented ghost mask types.
See also nômen and various name types. [MB]
ÔSODE 大袖
ÔTOBIDE 大飛出
Noh: A mask representing the God of Thunder, the God of
Heaven, protector of Buddhism, or a ghost. Fitting its august character, the
ôtobide is unusually large for a noh mask and painted in gold. The mask has
protruding, round, metallic eyeballs that are crossed to create an illusion
that the eyes are rolling around. The crescent-shaped eyebrows painted in black
lend a sense of surprise. A prominent, flattened nose, and big ears further
emphasize the mask's imposing character. The mouth gaps open wide to show both
the upper and lower teeth and the tip of a long, wide, red tongue. Apparently,
ôtobide was made for the play Raiden in which the ghost of an angry
official returns as the God of Thunder and burns down the imperial palace. It
is also worn by strong gods in congratulatory plays like Kamo and Arashiyama,
and by the fox god in Kokaji. The Kongô family in Kyoto owns a fine
ôtobide carved by Deme Zekan Yoshimitsu (1527-1616). See tobide,
kijinmen, and nômen. [MB]
OTOKOMEN 男面 ["male masks"]
Noh: These realistic portrayals of men of both high and low social
status at various stages in life are often classified by age. Youths include
the temple boys kasshiki, the eternally young jidô
and dôji (perhaps better classified as sprites along with
the sculpturally similar red shôjô), and the blind boys
semimaru and yoroboshi. Most
of the young men's masks represent refined courtiers, many of whom were also
warriors of the Heike clan and died in battle. The most universally used of
these is chûjô, others include atsumori,
imawaka and jûroku. To represent
commoners wakaotoko or kantan otoko
are used. Middle-aged men appear only as victorious warriors and are represented
by the mask (heita), of which several variations exist.
Old men, venerated for their wisdom, appear in the first act of many plays.
They are described under jômen. In addition there are a
number of special masks (tokushûmen) used exclusively
for a single play that bears the name of the character as its title, such as
Kagekiyo, Shunkan,
Yorimasa, and Ikkaku
Sennin. For these, each school has its own portrait-like interpretation.
Thus while in general a mask can be used for a wide variety of roles in a large
number of plays, the opposite is true for these special masks: a single role
is represented by several quite different masks.
Hair styles for men's masks vary. Youths generally have hair streaming down over their forehead or in clear-cut bangs. Warriors and courtiers wore tall black lacquer hats. The line where the bottom rim of the hat would cut across the forehead is shown on the men's masks by a straight black horizontal strip. Side hairs are then painted along the left and right rims of the mask. Eyebrows are painted with thin black lines along the upper eye-socket, often thickening with an upward swerve for the outer portion. For masks representing the highest ranks (e.g. chûjô), however, as with women's masks, eyebrows appear as "caterpillar" fuzz above the bone structure, reflecting the custom of shaving them off and painting in false eyebrows. For mature men's masks, a mustache, sometimes slight, sometimes aggressively magnificent, and suggestion of a beard are painted in with black hairlines. The eyes are rendered realistically, with eyelids enclosing indented eyeballs. The pupils, however, unlike the square openings for women's masks, are rounded to give a strong dynamic, though they are not fully round circles as is found on demon masks. Coloring tends to be more ruddy than for women's masks. [MB]
ÔTSUZUMI 大鼓 ["large
drum"; also called ôkawa; translated as hip drum]
Noh: The larger of the two hand drums is held near the left hip and
played with the right hand. Its drum heads are heated and dried before each
performance and then lashed tightly against the drum body to create its characteristic
high, hard sound. A newly heated drum may be brought to the hip drum player
midway through a play. [KWB]
RANBYÔSHI 乱拍子
Erratic rhythm, an action piece (hataraki) with
flexible rhythms controlled by the drummer watching the movements of the dancer.
The ranbyôshi of Dôjôji is particularly famous. [KWB]
Photos 2.32, 3.96
RÔJO
Noh: A mask representing the aged, yet beautiful face of
the hundred-year-old poetess, Ono no Komachi. Despite sunken cheeks, the smooth
face bears a quiet sobriety seen in the downcast eyes, well-formed eyebrow bones,
gently open mouth, and light gray coloring. A few loose strands of the black
and white hair fall across the cheeks and broad forehead, but the haunting beauty
of Komachi's young days remains evident.
The Hôshô school records that rôjo is intended as a mask for the play Sekidera Komachi (Komachi at Sekidera), but it can also be used for other plays about Komachi when she was old, such as Ômu Komachi (Komachi and the Parrot) and Sotowa Komachi (Komachi and a Stupa). The mask type is attributed to the 15th century carver Himi Munetada, (see jissaku) and is used by all five schools of noh.
A few rôjo masks have sharp, triangular cheekbones like those of yaseonna and/or wrinkles and slit eyes like uba.
See also nômen, onnamen. Compare to komachi, higaki onna, uba, yaseonna. [MB]
RYÔ NO AYAKASHI ["ghost ayakashi"; also read rei
no ayakashi]
See ayakashi.
RYÛ 流
A school of performers. There are, for example, currently two schools of
kyôgen actors and five schools of noh shite actors. Musicians
also belong to ryû. [KWB]
RYÛJIN-MAKI
A special puppet and kabuki style of suô worn by strong samurai serving as messengers from the nobility. The left sleeve, decorated with a large crest, is stiffened with bamboo splints; the right is removed, wrapped around a stick, and folded behind the back; and the trousers are tucked up in puffs high on the legs. [KWB]
SAMBASÔ [also kokushikijô]
Noh: The black faced mask of a happy old man used in noh and festival
performances of the play Okina, also known as shikisanban. Very similar
in conception to the white okina masks, sambasô has wrinkles lining his forehead
and cheeks in patternized curves. The mirthful slit eyes and smiling mouth with
a few stubs of teeth, as well as the severed and reattached chin (kiriago) define
both masks. The eyebrows are tufts of horsehair, as is the beard and wispy mustache.
Sambasô masks, some used on the noh stage, others for festival performances,
tend to be smaller than white okina masks. A very fine example from the 14th
century, with an inscription attributing it to the early carver Nikkô (dates
unknown), is owned by the Umewaka family in Tokyo and designated an Important
Cultural Property. The mask is worn for the second part of the second dance
performed by Sambasô, the suzunodan, which celebrates fertility. See also okina
men, okina, chichinojô, nômen.
[MB]
SANKÔJÔ
Noh: A noh mask representing a plebian old man. Deep furrows line
the cheeks and forehead. White beard and head hair are implanted with horsehair.
Both upper and lower teeth show behind the implanted mustache. Sankôjô is worn
in the first act of plays like Akogi, and Kuzu for the role
of a fisherman, and it can also be used for the old fisher or farmer appearing
in the first act of warrior plays like Yashima, Sanemori,
and Tadanori. In the Komparu, Kongo, and Kita schools, sankôjô often
replaces the mask asakurajô. Said to have been first
made by the late15th century carver Sankôbô, the founder of the Deme school
(Demeke) of mask carvers, after a visionary dream. See jômen,
nômen. [MB]
SASHI サシ
Noh: Recitative, a segment of unmetered poetry to noncongruent rhythm.
Sometimes used for lyrical monologues. [KWB]
SASHINUKI 指貫
A style of wearing HAKAMA tied up at mid-calf. [KWB]
Photos 3.42, 3.74
SEMIMARU 蝉丸
Noh: A mask representing a young prince who is blind from birth and
used exclusively in the play Semimaru. Sent away to live alone in a hut, Semimaru
seeks solace playing his biwa (Japanese lute). His crazed sister, Sakagami,
appears, and for a while the siblings are comforted in each other's company.
A sweet expression of calm resignation fills this youthful mask, despite the
blind eyes formed by gently curved long horizontal slits. The red lips curl
upward in a slight smile, mimicking the arch of the eyebrows. Wisps of sidelocks
brush against the full cheeks and a black strip across the upper forehead indicates
he wears a courtier's hat. The coloring is light and delicate. The sublime resignation
in semimaru contrasts with the suffering and pain in the other blind young man's
mask, yoroboshi. The Kongô school has a fine example
by the 17th century carver Deme Mitsuteru. See nômen, otokomen,
yoroboshi. [MB]
SHAKA 釈迦 ["Shakyamuni"]
Noh: A mask representing Shakyamuni, the Living Buddha. Typical of
statues of Shakyamuni, the balanced features have somewhat downward looking
eyes, gently closed lips, elongated ears, numerous carved curly locks, a thin,
curly mustache and beard, and a jewel in the middle of the forehead. The large
scale and depth of the mask reminiscent of gyôdô bosatsu masks is actually
due to its being worn over the ôbeshimi mask.
Used only in the play Dai-e (The Great Service), shaka serves as a
disguise. A goblin (tengu) promises a devout priest on Mt. Hiei to conjure
up a vision of Buddha preaching on Mt. Ryôjusen, and then disguises himself
with the shaka mask. Later the god Taishakuten disperses the false images and
chastises the goblin, who has been forced to remove the shaka mask and disclose
his true face.
The only other play where masks are layered is Genzai Shichimen (The
Dragoness of "Seven Mask" pond), where a dragoness hannya
mask is removed to disclose the goddess zôonna. See also
nômen. [MB]
The mask type was created by Tatsuemon (see jissaku), and a fine example with his inscription remains with the Kongô family in Kyoto. Shakumi is the standard mask for roles of mothers who have lost their child in plays like Sumidagawa (Sumida River) or Hyakuman, or wives separated from their husbands in plays like Kinuta (The Fulling Block), used by the Kongô, Komparu, and Kita schools, though Kanze and Hôshô schools may use it as an alternative to fukai. Variations: the Hôshô school shiro shakumi (white), and the Komparu school waka shakumi (young) and fuka shakumi (old).
See also nômen, onnamen. Compare to fukai. [MB]
SHIDAI次第
Noh:
1) Formal, entrance music for the waki
(or, less often, the shite) played by the hand drums (daishô)
with flute (nôkan) passages. Its three sections are often
abbreviated to two or even to one. The flute begins with a piercing hishigi
pattern; then the two hand drums play repeating ground patterns noted for their
uneven pulse and the elongated vocal calls (kakegoe)
of the drummers. Transition to another section or to the ending is signaled
by cadence patterns and their conspicuous drum calls "yo-o-i" and "iya". When
the flute begins to play in the last division, the curtain is lifted and the
waki (and wakizure if any) enters along the bridgeway and goes to the shite
spot (jôza) where he faces front as the hip drum signals
ending patterns.
2) An introductory song in three lines (ku;
the second line repeating the first) sung in standard match (hiranori)
rhythm by one or more players. The last two lines are then repeated by the chorus
(jitori) in a lower range of tones in free rhythm, although
this is seldom noted in texts. The poetic meter is 7/5, 7/5, 7/4 syllables.
The shidai serves as a thematic prelude to the play and is usually sung by the
waki (and wakizure, if any) immediately after shidai entrance music. In 32 plays
the shite enters to the shidai sequence, and in five of these (e.g. Atsumori)
both the waki and the shite enter to shidai music. The term shidai is adapted
from a Buddhist chanting style, in which the leader of the group chants the
first line, the group repeats that line, and the leader repeats a third, new
line (Yasuda 1989:527 note 79 and p. 152).
3) A shidai sung by the chorus (jishidai) may occur at a climatic moment in the body of the text (e.g Kinuta ), or as a prelude to a kuri-sashi-kuse sequence (e.g. Kakitsubata and Yamamba). The latter is an adaptation of an earlier performance type called kusemai, which was adapted into the noh structure by Kanami in the 14th century.
4) First-category deity plays begin with a shin no shidai, except when the play follows a performance of the ritual piece Okina. (In that case, the distinctive entrance music shin no netori featuring long flute and shoulder drum solo passages is used.) The shin no shidai has a strong, brisk feel suggesting the high rank of the waki and the importance of his task. It has five sections which often are abbreviated to three: kakari no dan, the introduction before the waki entrance; maku hanare no dan, the waki enters through the curtain to stand along the bridgeway; and hayame gashira no dan, the "quick head pattern section" in which the tempo quickens and the waki enters the main stage. This may be abbreviated even further by leaving out the first division (Bethe & Emmert, 1996:11-12). After shin no shidai entrance music, the jitori following the shidai song is sung by the chorus in standard match rhythm rather than in free rhythm, and is followed by a repetition of the shidai, called sanbengaeshi ("third return"). [KWB]
SHIKAMI 顰 ["biting lion"; also
written 獅噛 and known as hagami 歯噛
"biting teeth"]
Noh: A mask representing a bad demon whose defeat ends in celebration.
Muscles tense with rage, eyebrows furrowed to the extent that the upper half
of the metallic gold eyeballs are hidden, a nose that juts out with its large
nostrils, and blunt, large upper and lower teeth emphasize the scowl on the
shikami mask, from which its gets its current name meaning "awful, scowling
face." The black painted hair of the eyebrows, mustaches, beard, and head all
look as if they are standing up, tousled from anger. The mask is painted a dark
skin color.
Used for demon roles who perform the strenuous maibataraki dance such as the devil in Rashômon, the female devil in Momijigari, the spider man in Tsuchigumo, or the god-devil in Hiun. It can also substitute for yakan to represent the spirit of the death rock in Sesshoôseki. Shikami, or a varient with sculpted bushy face hair, ikazuchi (thunder god) is used for main role in Raiden (Thunder God). When the shikami is used to depict a good demon, a court hat, kanmuri, is worn on top of the mask. For the play Nue a bird-like variant, either nue or taka, might be used. The mask type is attributed to Shakazuru and a fine copy bearing the stamp of the first Ono Deme master, Zekan (d. 1616), is kept by Tokyo National Museum. See kijinmen and nômen. [MB]
SHIMAI 仕舞
Noh: Dance demonstration, selected sections danced by a single actor
to the accompaniment of chanters (usually five) without instruments. The dancer
wears a crested kimono and hakama and carries a dance
fan. Props are seldom used. [KWB]
SHINTAI 神体 ["god body
or god style"; also written 神容]
Noh: A mask representing a young Shinto god. Of the same type as
mikazuki, shintai has greater dignity and humanity,
particularly seen in the modeling of the eyes and the lack of vermilion accents
bordering the metallic eyeballs as well as more fleshed out cheeks. The coloring
is also a lighter ochre.
Shintai is used by all schools of noh for roles of vigorous young gods, in particular Sumiyoshi Myôjin in Takasago, or the god Kawaranokami in Yumiyawata. First created only in the late Muromachi period, the name may echo Zeami's (1363-1443?) three styles of acting: "aged" (rôtai), "feminine" (nyotai), and "martial" (guntai). See also nômen. Compare to mikazuki, awaotoko. [MB]
SHIROTARE 白妙
SHISHIGUCHI 獅子口
Noh: A mask representing a type of Chinese lion. Like a roaring lion,
shishiguchi has a squarely open mouth displaying metallic gold teeth, fangs,
and large red tongue. Between the metallic gold eyes that peer majestically
out from beneath strong, thick eyebrows rests a wide, flat nose. Gold-colored
shishiguchi are sometimes called dei-shishiguchi to distinguish them
from the less common, red-colored shishiguchi. Kanze-style shishi masks tend
to have bare heads and large fangs, but Hôshô shishi have a black line across
the top of their foreheads, which in human masks would indicate the base of
a black lacquer hat (kanmuri) and are thus known as kanmurigata shishi.
A fine 16th century example belongs to the Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya. While
many shishi masks of Chinese origin can be found in the dengaku and gigaku
repetoires, the various shishiguchi masks are Japanese in origin. Used for the
second act of the play Shakkyô (Stone Bridge) for the role of the father
lion who dances boisterously among the peony flowers in Monju Bodhisattva's
paradise. Sometimes, one or more child shishi wearing a shikami
mask or a smaller version of shishi known as kojishi
(child lion), accompanies the father. A Muromachi period example of the child
shishi with menacing up-turned eyes belongs to the Hôshôkai, Tokyo and is designated
an Important Cultural Property. Attributed to the 13th century carver Shakazuru
Yoshinari. See kijinmen and nômen.
[MB]
SHITAGI 下着
SHITE シテ ["doer"]
Noh: Shite is the label given to the principal role in a noh play
and to the actors (shite-kata) who perform shite, tsure,
kôken, and chorus (jiutai) roles.
Professional shite actors currently belong to one of five schools (ryû).
[KWB]
SHÔDAN 小段
Noh: Segments, the primary units of a scene in noh plays. Each has
a characteristic form of language, rhythm, melody, instrumentation and kinetic
structure. The term was coined by Yokomichi Mario (b. 1916). [KWB]
SHÔJÔ 猩々
Noh: A mask representing a good-luck sea sprite fond of drinking.
Sculpturally of the same conception as dôji and jidô,
shôjô is immediately recognizable by the bright red coloring indicative of intoxication.
The mouth curls into a broad smile exposing a suggestion of lower teeth as well
as upper, painted white at the tip, black at the base. The cheek muscles pull
back for the smile and the shaped eyes twinkle. Loose strands of hair fall lightly
over rising eyebrows. Used exclusively for the role of shôjô elves in the play
Shôjô or the Kanze school Taihei Shôjô. These inebriated sprites present a wine
merchant with a spring of wine that never runs dry. A very fine example housed
in Tenkawa Daibenzaiten Shrine, Nara prefecture bears an inscription with the
date 1591. See also nômen, otokomen,
dôji, jidô. [MB]
SHÔZOKU 装束 ["costume"]
Noh: Costumes can be classified according to tailoring,
weave structure, design patterns and use. Tailoring differences suggest a division
into three main groups: those garments with broad sleeves or ôsode:
large sleeve), those garments with arm-length box sleeves sewn up at the cuff
to leave only a small opening for the wrist (kosode: small
sleeve), and those garments worn as pants, generally pleated so they look like
broad skirts. In addition there are various accessories.
Among the broad-sleeved garments, most of which are descendants of Heian and Kamakura period robes worn by the nobility and military aristocracy, further classification depends for the most part on details of tailoring, for each has a definite and characteristic shape with set proportions. In addition, each broad-sleeved type garment has one or more typical weave structures and one or more typical design layouts. Broad-sleeved garments are worn as cloaks or jackets. They include kariginu, happi, mizugoromo, chôken, maiginu, hitatare, and suô.
Small sleeved garments, kosode, are all of one cut (with slight historical variation), similar to that of today's kimono. Kosode were worn as under garments by the nobility during the Heian period, but surfaced during the middle ages to become the basic robe of all classes and both genders in the Edo period. As they emerged from under layers of shed broad sleeved robes, these plain garments grew more and more decorative technique. The basic techniques for decorating noh robes stem from Muromachi and Momoyama period styles. Pictorial brocades include the atsuita, atsuita-karaori and karaori, which are distinguished from each other by weave structure, design patterns and use. Softer and more pliable than these heavy brocades are the haku, a white undergarment generally of satin weave, the surihaku, a haku decorated with stenciled gold or silver leaf patterns, and the embroidered nuihaku. The noshime is a plain weave kosode with stripes or checks.
Traditional Japanese pants tend to be full, since they are worn over the basic kosode. Front pleats and a bulge over the rear are typical. The plain colored "wide mouth" ôkuchi used in the noh are a direct descendent of the medieval military aristocracy's pants or "divided skirts," while the boldly decorated hangiri of similar construction were devised specifically for the noh stage. The pleated sashinuki gathered in at the ankles are worn over the ôkuchi in typical Heian courtier style. [MB]
Surihaku may have over all patterns, or be decorated only in exposed areas, like the chest and sleeves. Sometimes the area from the waist down has simplified designs. Common motifs include bamboo grass with dew, seven jewel interlock, flower diamonds, floral designs, waves, rice field patterns (ajiro), v twill pattern (shaaya) and triangle scales (uroko), which. Common colors are white, light blue, light red, stripes of green, red and white.
Satin or figured satin weaves are standard today, and have been since the mid Edo period, but very early surihaku were nerinuki, a thin plain weave silk. Patterns are formed by placing the cut stencil on the stretched cloth and applying paste through the holes. Before the adhesive dries, gold or silver leaf is laid on top and then pressed gently with cotton from above to make sure it sticks. Once the adhesive dries and the leaf securely affixed, the excess gold or silver is brushed away with a feather. Nuiiri surihaku are predominantly decorated with gold leaf, but have touches of embroidery highlights. [MB]
SHUNKAN 俊寛
A noh play. See GloPAD.
SHUNKAN 俊寛
Noh: A mask made for the play Shunkan and representing a warrior
of the Murakami Genji line who at age 37 was exiled by Taira no Kiyomori along
with two others to the island of Kikaigashima. When a reprieve arrives, he is
elated, only to fall into bitter despair when he realises that he alone is to
remain on the island unpardoned. Sadly he watches his two companions sail back
to the capital. Each of the five noh schools has its own rendition of the character,
but all show a middle-aged man whose expression combines, the desolation of
exile, the hopes of expected pardon, and the despair of being forsaken. While
the Kanze version (dated 1606 with an inscription reading "Hie Gonnokami") has
a sour negativism in the drooping eyes and mouth, the Hôshô shunkan mask bears
a pained dignity with softened lines and broader features. The Kongô mask is
more abstractly modeled with sharp corners. See nômen,
otokomen. [MB]
SHURA-MONO 修羅物
Noh: Plays featuring the ghosts of warriors. These plays occurred
second in the traditional five-play program (GOBANDATE). Shura (or Asura) refers
to the realm of fighting beings where warriors were thought to suffered after
death. [MB] Photos 2.7-11
SÔJÛRÔ ZUKIN 惣十郎頭巾
Kabuki: A dark hood worn by major male characters such
as Nippon Daemon in Benten Kozô. Created by Sawamura Sôjûrô I (1685-1756),
it became so popular that people adopted it in daily life. [KWB]
Photo 3.88
SUÔ
Matching long-sleeved top and long hakama worn as ordinary male attire. See also ryûjin-maki. [KWB]
SURIHAKU 摺箔 ["stenciled
soft kosode"]
Noh: A satin kosode style undergarment
(haku) with gold or silver leaf stenciled patterns worn
by women. The surihaku is draped so the collar lies snug against the neck and
the left front panel overlaps to draw the costume tightly around the body.
It is lined with purple, red, navy blue, or white. Surihaku are worn under karaori,
exposed at the chest for kinagashi style
Kinagashi,
with surihaku showing at upper chest area and over the right arm for nugisage
style. Hanako in Hanjo. [GloPAD #1000254]
Nugisage
with the right sleeve of the surihaku exposed. Rowing courtesan in Eguchi,
act 2. [GloPAD #1000124]
Surihaku form the upper half of the two piece suit called koshimaki
["wrapped around the waist;"] where the lower half is a nuihaku
slipped off the shoulders and folded down over the hips.
Koshimaki
with surihaku upper and nuihaku folded down at the waist below. The heavenly
maiden in Hagoromo, first part. [GloPAD #1001261]
TABI 足袋 ["Split-toe socks
with reinforced soles"]
Noh: All performers in noh plays wear white tabi, with
the exception of the ai-kyôgen who wear light yellow ones.
Kyôgen: Kyôgen actors wear light yellow tabi whether performing
in noh or kyôgen plays.
Kabuki: Tabi may be white, colored or even patterned. [KWB]
Photos 2.40, 3.74
TACHIMAWARI 立廻り
Noh: Stroll, a type of action piece (hataraki)
involving circling the stage to the left to noncongruent instrumental music.
The stick drum may participate. [KWB] Photo 2.41
TAMURA 田村
A noh play. See GloPAD.
TOGAN KOJI
A noh play.
TSUBOORI 壷折
A style of wearing a kimono tucked up at the waist. [KWB]
Photos 2.6, 2.32
TSURE ツレ
Companion, supporting roles to the shite, played by
shite-kata. all secondary females roles are tsure, because waki
do not wear masks. [KWB]
TSUZUKE ツヅケ
UBA ["old woman"]
Noh: A mask representing a dignified old woman. There are
many forms of this generic type, some dating back to the 14th century. All,
however, share the wrinkled and bony features of a woman grown old gracefully.
The hair and thin, high eyebrows have streaks of white mixed into the black.
The sunken eyes look down, being carved as a slightly curved slit. The serenity
of the face reflects a divine nature that has only temporarily taken on the
form of an old woman, such as the spirit of the Takasago tree bound in age-long
love to her partner in Sumiyoshi (tsure role in Takasago); it is also
used for the old wife-goddess (tsure role in Kuzu). A fine example,
and possibly the prototype, is the uba mask owned by the Hôshôkai,
bearing an inscription with the date 1504. Uba is used by all schools, generally
for non-dancing roles, which are often secondary (tsure)
roles. See also nômen, onnamen.
Compare to "dancing old woman" masks: rôjo, komachi,
higaki onna. [MB]
UNRININ 雲林院
A noh play. See GloPAD.
UTAURA 歌占
A noh play.
WAKAONNA 若女 ["young
girl"]
Noh: A noh mask representing a young woman. The mature expression
can be seen in the clear eyes, high forehead (not as broad as ko-omote
or magojirô), lingering smile, and smooth cheeks. The
oval outlines of the face and wide-set eyes, thin high eyebrows, and hair style
(two loose strands emanating at the part and pulled back above the eyebrows,
where three new strands begin to fall down along the side of the cheek and three
extra strands loop across the juncture) are almost identical with fushiki
zô, a young woman's mask used by the Hôshô school.
The Kanze school owns several fine examples and uses this mask type, documented as being first carved by the master Kawachi Daijô Ieshige (active 1645), for main (shite) roles of young women, particularly in third category "wig" plays, such as Eguchi, Nonomiya, or Izutsu. Apparently, before Kawachi created the model mask, the Kanze school used the older fukai mask for young women's roles.
See also nômen, wakai onnamen. Compare to ko-omote, magojirô, fushiki zô, mambi, ômionna. [MB] Photo 2.16
WAKAOTOKO 若男 ["young man"; also known as Wakaiotoko 若い男]
WAKI ワキ
Noh: Secondary roles now played by specialized waki actors (waki-kata),
who never wear masks and hence are limited to middle-aged male characters, often
priests or courtiers. In a few plays, such as Rashômon,
waki have major roles for waki actors. If there are more than one waki role,
the others are called wakizure. There are currently
three school of waki actors. In some noh-related kyôgen plays the secondary
role is called waki rather than ado. Compare shite.
[KWB]
WASHIBANA AKUJÔ 鷲鼻悪尉
["eagle-nosed fierce old man"]
Noh: A mask representing a fierce, old man. A roman nose with a strong,
thin nosebone distinguishes this mask. Wrinkles line its forehead and a flat,
straight ridge sets the eyebrows apart from the eyes. Like other akujô
masks, washibana akujô has inserted gold-colored metal eyeballs, imparting a
strong impression, yet its eyes are smaller and more human-like than ôakujô
and hanakobu akujô. Gold-colored metal covering the
?d upper and lower teeth and a tongue visible in the back of the mouth emphasize
the strength of the old man. The mask is colored a dark earthy brown. Washibana
akujô is often used for a figure performing the Chinese-derived dance gaku,
such as the messanger god in Dômyôji, the schollar Onin in Naniwa,
and the god Shirahige no Môjin in Shirahige. Attributed to the 13th
century carver Shakazuru Yoshinari. An inscribed Muromachi period mask at Oyama
Shrine is carved in the style of washibana akujô. See akujô,
hanakobu akujô, ôakujô, kijinmen,
and nômen. [MB]
YAKAN 野干
Noh: A mask representing a small Chinese fox. Its thin-lipped, slightly
open mouth which reveals sharp upper and lower teeth is drawn tightly back,
giving the mask a sinister quality. Pronounced eyebrows and heavy eyelids cover
the upper half of the metallic gold eyeballs. Coarse hair painted with short,
black and white strokes for the eyebrows, mustache, and beard below the lip
creates a sense of an older fox. The mask is colored brown. A similar mask called
deiyakan is painted gold. Yakan is worn by the spirit
of the Death Rock in the second act of the play Sesshôseki. A yakan
mask inscribed by the eighteenth carver Oono Deme master, ?? kan, is owned by
the Tokyo National Museum. See kijinmen and nômen.
[MB]
YAMANBA 山姥
A noh play. See GloPAD.
YAMANBA 山姥 ["old woman
of the hills"; also pronounced yamauba]
Noh: A mask used in the play Yamanba
and representing an old woman, half demon, who roams the mountains. The enigmatic
personality of Yamanba is apparent in the wide variety of masks used to represent
the role. The gaunt features, wrinkled brow and pale coloring of the Hôshô school
mask, attributed to the 15th century carver Tatsuemon, presents a realistic
portrayal of an old woman wise to suffering and very human. The ruddy, weather-beaten
yamanba mask in the Mitsui Archives and attributed to the 15th century carver
Tokuwaka has a balance of power, wisdom and sensitivity in its strong, muscular
cheeks, flashing eyes and fleshy lips. The Kanze school mask is a more elfin
version of the Mitsui mask, with lighter coloring, more delicate features, but
the same open energy and slightly bared teeth. The Kongô school owns a mask
attributed to the 15th century carver Shakuzuru that appears demonic with bright
vermilion flesh, and close-knit eyebrows hovering over protruding round eyes,
yet has abstractly rendered wrinkles lining the cheeks and forehead to suggest
old age. Finally the Umewaka branch of the Kanze school owns a yamanba that
emphasizes the demonic aspects of the role, being modeled on the serpent mask
ja, with a gaping, leering mouth dominating the lower half, a pointed
nose, and large ears. Despite these wide variances, all the yamanba masks share
having small, round metallic irises indicating demonic nature, and all but the
Umewaka mask share the representation of hair and eyebrows with alternating
lines of white and black, typifying and old woman. See also nômen.
[MB]
YASEONNA
Noh: A mask representing the suffering spirit of a woman
who dies from problems in a love relationship. Noh tradition has it that the
mask was first conceived of for the role of the Princess Shokushi, who died
shortly after an illicit affair with Fujiwara Teika. Teika's spirit becomes
a vine suffocatingly winding itself around her grave. With the help of prayers,
she finally finds salvation.
A variation of ryôonna, yaseonna has a pitiful plight calling for sympathy; her greater passivity is seen particularly in the lack of gold or red in the eyes. The prominent bones form a tense triangle above the sunken cheeks, at times angularly sculpted, at times with rounded edges. The eyes stare down listlessly from a bone-ridged hollow. Still, a gentle elegance pervades the mask, a soft tragic expression that validates the final salvation. The choice of ryôonna or yaseonna for a given performance of Teika, Motomezuka (The Sought-for Grave), or Kinuta (Fulling Block) reflects the actor's interpretation of the role. It can also be used for old women in the first half of plays like Kurozka (also Adachigahara). The 15th century carver Himi (see jissaku) is known for his fine yaseonna masks; a good example can be found in the Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya, dated to the 16th century and traditionally attributed to Echi Yoshifune.
See also nômen, onna men. Compare to komachi, higaki onna, uba, rôjo. [MB]
YASEOTOKO 痩男 ["emaciated
man"]
Noh: A mask representing a ghost suffering in hell. Lean flesh barely
disguises the skeletal structure of this mask. Sunken eyes and weakly open mouth
both turn down. The lack of lower teeth and thin limpid lines of hair add to
the sense of impassiveness. The bland, earthy coloring appears bloodless. Only
the metallic eyeballs highlighted with vermilion suggest an affinity with the
superhuman. While some yaseotoko masks have broad faces with wide-set eyes,
others have smaller features set closer together, like the fine example owned
by the Mitsui family, Tokyo and formerly the model mask (honmen)
of the Kongô school, which bears an inscription attributing it to the 15th century
carver Himi.
Yaseotoko is used by all schools of nô for men suffering in hell, either from having disobeyed the Buddhist dictate not to take life, such as the hunter in Utô and the fisher in Akogi, or who are obsessed with unfair treatment in life, like the fisher in Fujito and the lover Fukakusa no Shôshô in Kayoi Komachi. For the last play, the more refined variant masks of shôshô and fukakusaotoko were devised in the mid Edo period.
See also nômen, onryômen. Compare to kawazu, hatachi amari. [MB]
YORIMASA 頼政
A noh play. See GloPAD.
YORIMASA 頼政
Noh: A mask representing a 12th century warrior-poet of the Sewa
Genji line in the play Yorimasa. Having fought
against his family to protect the emperor, he later plotted revenge against
the rising and powerful Taira no Kiyomori, only to be forced to give battle
on the banks of the Uji river near the temple of Byôdôin. A patch of turf cut
in the shape of a fan marks the spot where the defeated 70-year-old Yorimasa
laid down his fan and committed suicide. The mask, with its rounded metallic
eyes, up-swept eyebrows, and bared teeth, although representing a living person,
is sculpturally close to masks of revengeful ghosts, such as ayakashi.
Black stubble around the mouth contrasts with the aging wrinkles on the brow
and highlights the bitter expression. The original mask is attributed to the
15th century carver Tokuwaka. [MB]
YOROBOSHI 弱法師
["priest with faltering step"]
A noh play. See GloPAD.
YOROBOSHI 弱法師
["priest with faltering step"]
Noh: A mask representing a blind young boy who frequents the temple
of Tennôji in Osaka begging for alms in the play Yoroboshi.
His poetic spirit is expressed in his appreciation of the beauty of the plums
through their smell. Long cast out from his family, he is finally reunited with
his father at the end of the play. The mask has many versions, but all have
closed eyelids, straggly hair over the brow, and a suffering expression. The
Kongô school yoroboshi has a narrow face and peaked, gaunt bone structure, rendered
abstractly. The Hôshô mask, while fuller and softer in modeling has a deep sadness.
A Momoyama period yoroboshi with furrowed eyebrows appears in deep pain. A 15th
century example designated Important Art Object has a calmer face, somewhat
reminiscent of the other blind boy mask, semimaru. The
slit eyes on blind masks paradoxically provide greater vision for the actor.
See also nômen, otokomen, semimaru.
[MB]
ZAÔ 蔵王
Noh: A mask representing the Buddhist deity Zao Gongen in
Kuzu and Arashiyama. See Fudô. [MB]
ZÔ-ONNA 増女
Noh: A type of female noh mask with a refined, almost other-worldly
expression, used for relatively mature, young women and those with a divine
nature. [MB] Photo 1.21
ZUKIN 頭巾
Variety of hats and hoods. See sôjûrô-zukin. Dieties
of subsidary shrines in kyôgen wear the tall massha zukin, photo 1.20,
while commoners such as a country doctor and servants wear the nôriki zukin.
[KWB] Photos 1.24, 2.21, 2.31