Noh Mask

Noh theatre was traditionally performed in sets of five plays, exploring the breadth of human emotion. The most quintessential of these are the beautiful women plays, which explore love. This mask depicts a beautiful woman through beauty standards present before the origin of Noh. The darkened teeth and high eyebrows are nods to beauty standards in Tang Dynasty China, more than 500 years before the creation of Noh theatre. In this way, the old beauty of the mask connects to a longer cultural tradition.
Masks play a central role in Noh theatre. Noh theatre is a distinctly Japanese art form created in the 14th century by Kan'ami. It is rooted in the Japanese tradition of Zen Buddhism and the heightened role of the military in feudal Japan. The importance of tradition and rigid adherence to form are crucial to Noh theatre. There is a strictly prescribed ideal that each performance strives for.
This Noh mask aims not only to display a beautiful woman, embodying valued cultural aspects but also a woman considered beautiful from long ago. This focus on the past and tradition is tangible in Noh theatrical practice. Noh theatre is a distinctly Japanese artform that prioritizes tradition and rigidity over individualism.