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The masks of traditional Japanese theater
The origins of theater in Japan (日本 伝 統 芸 能) ...
The origins of Japanese theater date back to the 11th century (about 1000 years ago); then there was a theatrical genre called "Sarugaku".
Sarugaku was a mix of dance, song, comedy and magic that entertained random people on the street.
Another form of ancient theater, "Dengaku", was performed as a ritual ceremony of praying for a good harvest before planting rice.
In the 14th century, these two arts were combined into a new stage art, performed in Shinto shrines.
In the Muromachi era, growing popularity turned this ritual stage art into a theatrical performance,
which gained the support of Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu as his favorite art form.
The authors responsible for the development of the Noh (能) Theater that we see regularly performed and enjoyed today, were father and son.
The father, Kan'ami, changed the singing into a type of rhythmic music. The son, Zeami, added grace to the comic stories by inserting the song / dance acts.
Thanks to them, what was once a Shinto ritual became an element fundamental of the show, enjoyed by the powerful in theaters.
The fact that the performances of the Noh theater were appreciated by the nobles made it a fundamental part of the general education of the Samurai, high-class and respected individuals.
As part of the armor, the samurai wore a 'Menpò' mask, complementing the 'kabuto' helmet for face protection. They are masks that represent traditional theatrical characters such as the old man (Okina-men),
the sylvan demon (tori-Tengu) or the woman (Onna-men). All those masks are housed in the museum of traditional Japanese art.
The Noh Theater performance is based on traditional stories, which include supernatural beings from Japanese literature.
The Noh was almost completely lost, during the period of Westernization and World War II, but managed to survive thanks to the hard work of the Noh actors.
In 2001 UNESCO declared the Noh "Masterpiece of human oral tradition and intangible heritage". Thanks to this, Noh has regained its popularity inside and outside Japan.
Originally performed only by men, after World War II women could also perform in it. Today anyone can learn the art of the Noh Theater.
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Theater masks ...
Noh masks are called in Japanese "Omote" or "Noh-men".
They are a fundamental part and serve to characterize a certain role.
The “Waki” narrator is not wearing the mask. The mask is used by the actor representing the main role,
"Shite", and his partner, "Tsure". Noh plays usually have no more than 2-3 actors.
Noh actors use these special masks carved in "cypress" wood Japanese (檜 “Hinoki”).
These masks are painted on the forehead with natural pigments. There are about 450 different masks,
based on 60 types, each with its own specific name. Some of these masks are used in many different
shows, others are very specific and therefore used only in one or two shows.
Depending on the roles, the Noh masks they represent gods or ghosts, demons or a woman.
The most famous of the Noh theater masks are Hannya, Tengu, Okina, Onna, Hyottoko and Okame.
The masks are painted in a particular way, so as to stand out with the lights of the stage.
When the actor wants to show happiness, he looks slightly up for capture and reflect more light,
to show sadness, on the contrary, he looks slightly below to collect more shadows on the mask.
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The Edo era (1603-1868) was a time of peace after a long years of civil war.
During this period many of the elements of Japanese culture that we know today were born.
It was also the last era with the Samurai still present.
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Difference between Noh and Kabuki ...
The main actors and Noh (能) musicians are highly skilled, they use beautiful traditional handmade masks and costumes, to perform the dance based performance.
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Kabuki (歌舞 伎 - skill, sing, dance) is a traditional dramatic dance performance, known for its "charming but bizarre costumes" and the "makeup" of its artists' faces.
Kabuki does not use carved masks.
Article written by Vladimir Zaicek, Maria Grazia Simeone, Marco Morelli