World of Noh and Noh Masks.

Nothingness is infinity

Onna masks that represent young and middle-aged women’s faces are very neat and clean-cut, but there is something lacking in their masks. Their eyes look far away, their lips are half open, their facial muscles are not tense at all and they have no clear expression. They have a stunned and elusive expression. In fact, conclusive expressions are deliberately removed from the carving, and this is called the “intermediate expression”. This is where the secret of the beauty of Noh masks is hidden.

Since the masks do not express a particular moment in time, they have the potential to change into various expressions when certain conditions are met. Watsuji Tetsuro once said, “A smiling mask cannot cry. On the other hand, a crone with a dead face (meaning no expression) can both cry and laugh. This “middle expression” is a standby posture for the production of infinite expressions.

When a mask is turned upward, or the masked performer turns his face up, the expression becomes bright and cheerful. And when he turns his face down, his expression becomes sad and melancholic. The masks change their expressions this way not by a mechanical device or trick. It is the result of various factors and conditions, such as the audience’s imagination, feelings, and perhaps even illusions as well as the actions and acting skills present in the play.

Masks that depict young women’s faces especially have subtle and unexpected details carved into them. We would like to explain one of the most important aspects of these masks.

The lower eyelid is carved so that the line connecting the inner corner of the eye and the outer corner of the eye looks straight when viewed from the front, but it looks slightly wavy when viewed or illuminated from below. By carving the mask this way, the eyes appear to smile when viewed from certain angles. Additionally, you can see the line connecting the upper and lower eyelids is carved at a greater angle than that of a real human being when you view the face from the side. This way when the masks are illuminated the eyes appear to widen (at their widest when the line connecting the upper and lower eyelids is perpendicular), which also gives a brighter look. Conversely, as light is obscured or lowered the eyes appear half-closed, downcast, or lightly closed, giving a melancholy or sad expression.