Mask types

Okina 翁 (Hakushiki jō 白式尉）

• Roles Okina

• Plays Okina only

• Act N/A

• Play category N/A

• Shite school All

• Features White complexion; black hat line; round eyebrows (made of hemp or rabbit hair); deep wrinkles on forehead and cheeks; crescent-shaped eyes; painted mustache; implanted beard hair; sometimes teeth; detached chin (kiriago).

Sanbasō 三番叟 (Kokushiki-jō 黒式尉)

• Roles Sanbasō only

• Plays Okina only

• Act N/A

• Play category N/A

• Shite school N/A

• Features Dark complexion; black hat line; implanted eyebrows; deep wrinkles on forehead and cheeks; crescent-shaped eyes; painted mustache; sometimes implanted beard hair; sometimes teeth; detached chin (kiriago).

Notes: The size of the mask, the shape of the eyebrows, the thickness of the lips and the shape of the teeth can vary considerably. Together with Hakushiki jō (above) and Chichi no jō, Kokushiki jō is unique among nō masks in featuring a movable part.

Ko-jō 小尉

• Roles Deity in human form

• Plays Takasago, Yōrō, Naniwa, Himuro, Aridōshi, Hōjōgawa,etc.

• Act First

• Play category First

• Shite school All

• Features Implanted hair; light wrinkles on forehead and cheeks; painted eyebrows; ears; painted mustache; implanted beard; small mouth; upper teeth, painted black.

• Wig Jō-gami

Notes The name Kojō is an abbreviation of Ko-ushi-jō, referring to the carver who first made it, Ko-ushi Kiyomitsu, active in the late 14th century. This type of mask is used mostly for roles of deities in the first half of first category plays. Its fewer wrinkles and painted mustache instead of hair inserts contribute to a more refined appearance, suitable for roles of deity. The white hair inserted on top of the head blend with the jō-gami old man’s wig.

Shiwa-jō 皺尉

• Roles Aged deity performing a dance

• Plays Saigyō-zakura, Yūgyō Yanagi. Hakurakuten, Hōjōgawa, etc.

• Act Second

• Play category First, third, fourth

• Shite school Kanze

• Features Implanted hair; wrinkles on forehead and cheeks; painted eyebrows; ears; painted mustache; implanted beard; small mouth; upper teeth, painted black.

• Wig Shiro-tare

Notes The name of this type of mask means ‘wrinkled old man’. Although this type of mask shares some similarities with Ko-jō (above), for example the hair implanted beard with painted mustache, it used in the second half of a play. Unlike the masks used in the first act, Shiwa-jō is used in combination with the shiro-tare loose white wig.

Warai-jō 笑尉

• Roles Deity, ghost or spirit in human form.

• Plays Nomori, Ukai, Utō, etc.

• Act First

• Play category Second, fourth, fifth

• Shite school All

• Features Implanted hair; deep wrinkles on forehead and cheeks; painted eyebrows; ears; mustache inserts; implanted beard; large mouth; upper and lower teeth.

• Wig Jō-gami

Notes The name of this type of mask means "laughing old man." The white hair inserts on top of the head fit with the jō-gami old man wig. Warai-jō and Sankō-jō (below) may be used interchangeably, depending on the shite school.

Sankō-jō 三光尉

• Roles Ghost of warrior or commoner in human form.

• Plays Yashima, Akogi, Utō, Sanemori, Tadanori, Michimori, Tōru, Kuzu, etc.

• Act First

• Play category Second, fourth, fifth

• Shite school All

• Features Implanted hair; multiple deep wrinkles on forehead and cheeks; painted eyebrows; ears; mustache inserts; implanted beard and mustache; large mouth; upper and lower teeth.

• Wig Jō-gami

Notes The name of this type of mask refers to its creator, Sankō-bō. The white hair inserts on top of the head fit with the jō-gami old man wig. Warai-jō and Sankō-jō may be used interchangeably, depending on the shite school.

Dōji 童子

• Roles Deity in disguise; Chinese immortal

• Plays Iwafune, Tamura, Kokaji, Kiku jidō (Makura jidō), Shakkyō (tsure)

• Act First or second

• Play category First, second, fourth, fifth.

• Shite school All

• Features Straight painted hair; arched eyebrows; smiling mouth

• Wig Kuro-gashira

Notes　The oval shape of the mask, devoid of wrinkles or furrows, the arched eyebrows and smiling mouth result in a youthful appearance. This mask is used for roles of a supernatural being in the form of a boy. Its uncombed hair matches the large kashira wig used in combination with this mask.

Kasshiki 喝食

• Roles Temple acolyte

• Plays Jinen koji, Tōgan koji, Kagetsu

• Act First or second

• Play category Fourth

• Shite school All

• Features Gingko leaf-shaped bangs, hair painted combed to the sides of the face to match the black wig used with this mask; up-swerving eyebrows.

• Wig Kasshiki-kazura

Notes This mask is used for roles of young acolyte serving a Buddhist temple.The bangs indicate that the boy is yet to take the tonsure. Kasshiki bangs can be straight or flared like a gingko leaf. The mask is used in combination with the kasshiki-kazura wig

Chūjō 中将

• Roles Taira warrior or courtier

• Plays Kiyotsune, Tadanori, Michimori, Tōru, Oshio, Unrin’in, Genjō, Suma Genji, etc.

• Act Second

• Play category Second, third, fifth

• Shite school All

• Features hat line; painted eyebrows high on forehead; furrows between eyes; light painted mustache; teeth painted black.

• Wig Kuro-tare or no wig (ji-gami).

Notes The face represented by this mask sports the same make up style of young women masks, such as ko-omote, with eyebrows plucked and painted on the forehead and blackened teeth. Because of its refined appearance, it is used to represent warrior-courtier members of the Taira clan (e.g. Kiyotsune, Tadanori, Michimori), or courtier aristocrats such as the minister Minamoto no Tōru (Tōru) or Ariwara no Narihira (Unrin’in, Oshio).

Heita 平太

• Roles Strong warrior

• Plays Yashima, Tamura, Kanehira, Ebira, etc.

• Act Second

• Play category Second

• Shite school All

• Features hat line; reddish complexion; natural eyebrows, pointing up; painted mustache; wide, round pupils, sunken eyes.

• Wig Kuro-tare 

Notes: This mask is used for roles of strong warriors such as members of the Minamoto clan, or Sakanoue Tamuramarō. Compared with the more refined Chūjō (above), its wider mouth and eye openings, its pointed eyebrows and wide swerving mustache, and its darker complexion evoke the visage of an experienced warrior.

Kantan-otoko 邯鄲男

• Roles Commoner; Rosei in Kantan; young deity; ghost of a troubled nobleman

• Plays Kantan, Ominameshi, Takasago, Ema, Yōrō, etc.

• Act First or second

• Play category First, fourth

• Shite school All

• Features furrows between  the eyes; natural eyebrows;  terse cheeks; light mustache; upper and lower teeth.

• Wig Kuro-tare

Notes: the name of the mask derives from the play Kantan, in which it is used to portray Rosei, a Chinese man. It belongs to a group of masks used to portray male characters who are alive in the narrative present of a play, hence would be conventionally staged without a mask (hita-men). In the case of the play Kantan, the mask kantan-otoko has been used in order to provide a slightly troubled air to the character. However, the use of the mask extends to other characters types, such as an aristocrat (Ominameshi), the deity of Sumiyoshi (Takasago), the deity Tajikarao (Ema) or the mountain deity in Yōrō.

Ko-omote 小面

• Roles Young woman; deity or spirit in the form of young woman

• Plays This mask is used in a great number of plays. These are only a few examples – in brackets is the role type. Yuya (woman – alive), Matsukaze (woman – ghost), Kamo (deity – tsure), Fuji (flower spirit).

• Act First or second

• Play category All

• Shite school All

• Features Fair complexion; three thick hairlines neatly combed along the sides; fuzzy eyebrows painted high on the forehead; plump cheeks; eyes, nose and mouth are close to the center of the mask.

• Wig Kazura or kuro-tare

Notes The name of this type of mask literally means "small face," though it implies beauty rather than just small dimensions. The use varies depending on the shite school. Traditionally, it is used by the Kongō, Komparu, and Kita schools for shite roles of young woman or female spirits. It is the only young woman mask used for tsure roles. The same mask is used to portray rustic country women and ladies at court.

Waka onna 若女

• Roles Young woman; deity or spirit in the form of young woman.

• Plays Izutsu, Eguchi, Hashitomi, Funa-Benkei, Motomezuka, Dōjōji, etc.

• Act First or second

• Play category Second, third, fourth

• Shite school Kanze

• Features Similar to ko-omote, but with thinner eyebrows; more strands of hair, and less full cheeks.

• Wig Kazura or kuro-tare

Notes The name of this type mask means "young woman." Traditionally, it is used by the Kanze school for shite roles of young woman or female spirit. It expresses a more refined and mature beauty than Ko-omote.

Magojirō 孫次郎

• Roles Young woman; deity or spirit in the form of young woman.

• Plays Izutsu, Nonomiya, Dōjōji, etc.

• Act First or second

• Play category All

• Shite school Kongō

• Features Similar to Ko-omote, but with brushed hair lines; sharper nose; larger, more elongated eyes, and thicker lips.

• Wig Kazura or kuro-tare

Notes The name of this type of mask derives from the name of its creator, the performer and carver Kongō Magojirō, who is thought to have carved the model for this mask based on the features of his deceased wife. Traditionally, it is used by the Kongō school for shite roles of young woman or female spirits.

Zō-onna 増女

• Roles Deity or female spirit

• Plays Ema, Hagoromo, Miwa, Kazuraki, etc.

• Act First or second

• Play category First, third, fourth

• Shite school All

• Features Thin eyebrows; sharp nose; thin, m-shaped upper lip; plump lower lip; upper teeth fairly visible.

• Wig Kazura or kuro-tare

Notes The name of this type of mask (‘zо̄ woman’) derives from its creator, the dengaku actor contemporary of Zeami, Zо̄ami. This is the mask of choice for roles of high-ranking deities or spirits, and used exclusively for shite roles. Its large forehead with thin eyebrows, elongated eyes, sharp nose and spare cheeks give the mask an elegant and detached expression.

Fukai 深井

• Roles Middle-aged woman

• Plays Sumidagawa, Sakuragawa, Miidera, Hyakuman, Kinuta, Mochizuki, Tanikō, etc.

• Act First or second

• Play category Fourth

• Shite school Kanze, Hōshō

• Features High, thin eyebrows; sunken cheeks; eyes point down; thin and sharp upper lip; mouth corners point down.

• Wig Kazura

Notes The name of this type of mask means "deep well." This type of mask is traditionally used by Kanze and Hōshō schools for roles of mother or wife. The human expression emerging from this rather conventional face of a middle-age woman makes the mask appropriate to portray the character of a woman undergoing emotional suffering or distress, for example because of the loss of a child or husband. Notice how the mask is mostly used in fourth-category, genzai (present-time) plays. As a consequence, the mask is unsuitable for representing roles of deity or spirit, for which masks of young or old women are used.

Shakumi 曲見

• Roles Middle-aged woman

• Plays Sumidagawa, Sakuragawa, Miidera, Hyakuman, Kinuta, Mochizuki, Tanikō, etc.

• Act First or second

• Play category Fourth

• Shite school Komparu, Kongō, Kita

• Features High, thin eyebrows; sunken cheeks; eyes point down; thin and sharp upper lip; mouth corners point down.

• Wig Kazura

Notes The name of this type of mask mask means ‘slanted gaze’, referring to how the mask appears to be looking down. This type of mask is traditionally used by Komparu, Kongō and Kita schools for roles of mother or wife. The human expression emerging from this rather conventional face of a middle-age woman makes the mask appropriate to portray the character of a woman undergoing emotional suffering or distress, for example because of the loss of a child or husband. The swollen eyelids suggest that the woman has cried. Notice how the mask is mostly used in fourth-category, genzai (‘present-time’) plays. As a consequence, the mask is unsuitable for representing roles of deity or spirit, for which masks of young or old women are used.

Uba 姥

• Roles Old woman; deity or spirit in the form of an old woman.

• Plays Takasago (tsure), Kuzu (tsure), Kurozuka, Sotoba-komachi, Ubasute, etc.

• Act First or second

• Play category First, third

• Shite school All

• Features Mixed black and white hair; downward-looking eye openings stretch from inner to outer corner; numerous wrinkles; sunken cheeks, down-turned mouth.

• Wig Kazura

Notes　The name of this type of mask means ‘old woman’. This mask is used both for roles of woman and of deity in disguise, as in Takasago and Kuzu or in the kogaki (performance variant) of plays such as Kurozuka, in which the shite in the standard version wears Fukai or Shakumi.

Hannya 般若

• Roles Aggressive female spirit.

• Plays Aoinoue, Kurozuka, Dо̄jо̄ji, Momijigari, etc.

• Act Second

• Play category Fourth, fifth

• Shite school All

• Features Hair parted in the middle straggling down the sides;  pointed horns; leering mouth with golden eyes and teeth; pointed canines; protruding lower jaw; human ears.

• Wig Kazura or Kashira

Notes The name of this type of mask derives from Hannya-bо̄, a monk-artist who is said to have perfected the mask. Hannya is a Buddhist word signifying "wisdom." The Hannya mask is only used to portray female characters. The upper half expresses the character’s state of distress, while the lower half displays uncontrolled, animal-like anger. In the case of the plays Aoinoue or Dо̄jо̄ji, the mask expresses the resentment of a woman that has been abandoned by her lover. Though less subtle than young women masks, Hannya is capable of producing a range of emotions. The expression is frightening when the actor lowers the mask, pointing the horns at the waki who tries to exorcize the demon. However, when raising the mask, it produces an expression of great distress, almost a desperate call for help. Different types of Hannya masks – white or red all over and white above, red below–may be used for different roles.

Shin-ja 真蛇

• Roles Aggressive female spirit.

• Plays Aoinoue, Kurozuka, Dо̄jо̄ji, etc.

• Act Second

• Play category Fourth, fifth

• Shite school All

• Features Similar to Hannya, though though more extreme; short horns; no ears; bulging, round golden eyes; wide protruding jaw; gaping mouth, with golden fangs and visible tongue; no mouth opening.

• Wig Kashira

Notes The name of this type of mask means ‘true serpent’. Used as an alternative to Hannya. In plays such as Dōjōji or Momijigari, it indeed represents a serpent-like figure. Its shorter horns, round eyes and protruding jaw produce an otherworldly expression, suggestive of a monstrous snake. Unlike Hannya, it is used only in combination with the large kashira wig.

Deigan 泥眼

• Roles Female spirit, ghost, or dragon goddess.

• Plays Aoinoue, Teika, Sesshōseki, Ama, Kanawa, Kinuta, Kasuga-ryūjin (tsure), etc.

• Act First or second

• Play category Fourth, fifth

• Shite school All

• Features Wide forehead; thin eyebrows; small golden eyes; wide nose; tense upper lip; exposing upper golden teeth.

• Wig Kazura or kuro-tare

Notes The name of this type of mask refers to the gold pigment (金泥 or ‘gold mud’) used to paint the eyes. The bone structure of this type of mask is not as angular as that of other spirit masks. Her wide forehead, down-gazing golden eyes, and thinner lips produce a supernatural expression, though it is more difficult to associate it to a specific character. In fact, Deigan is used to portray a variety of female spirits, including Rokujо̄ no Miyasudokorо̄’s vengeful spirit (Aoinoue), Princess Shokushi’s ghost (Teika), the ghost of a woman who died of loneliness (Kinuta) a dragon goddess (Ama), a woman distraught by jealousy (Kanawa), and the fox-spirit Tamamo-no-mae (Sesshо̄seki).

Ryō no onna 霊女

• Roles Female spirit or supernatural being

• Plays Same as Deigan; also Motomezuka

• Act First or second

• Play category Fourth, fifth

• Shite school All

• Features Thin arched eyebrows; sharp bone structure over the eyes line; thin nose; mouth corners pointing down; golden eyes and teeth

• Wig Kazura or kuro-tare

Notes The name of this type of mask means ‘spirit woman’. This type of mask is often used as an alternative to Deigan. 

Hashihime 橋姫

• Roles Resentful woman or dragon goddess

• Plays Kanawa

• Act Second

• Play category Fourth, fifth

• Shite school All

• Features The forehead is white; while the lower part of the mask is red; disheveled hair; deep furrows between the eyes; golden eye inserts and teeth painted gold; upper and (sometimes) lower teeth are visible.

• Wig Kazura

Notes The name of this type of mask derives from the legend of Hashihime, the Bridge Princess, a woman transformed into a demon by jealousy. The mask is used mostly in Kanawa, where a woman puts on vermillion makeup and a crown of candles to take revenge on her husband.

Namanari 生成

• Roles Woman turning into a demon

• Plays Kanawa (variant)

• Act Second

• Play category Fourth

• Shite school All

• Features Short horns; elongated eyes with wide pupils; half-closed eyes; white forehead shading to red cheeks and jaw.

• Wig Kazura

Notes The name of this type of mask means "becoming alive." Used for the role of the wife in the second act of Kanawa. As an alternative to Hashi-hime, it represents the half-animal, half-human face of the wife transfigured by jealousy and hatred toward her unfaithful husband. The forehead, devoid of furrows makes a striking contrast with the gaping mouth with exposed fangs

Ayakashi 怪士

• Roles Malicious male spirit.

• Plays Funa Benkei, Nue, Shari, Takasago, etc.

• Act Any

• Play category First, fourth

• Shite school All

• Features Red or brown complexion; pointed eyebrows and mustache; golden eyes and enlarged eyeholes provide an eerie look.

• Wig Kashira

Notes The name of this type of mask means "mysterious man." This type of mask is used mostly for the role of malicious spirits, such as the ghost of Taira no Tomomori bent on taking revenge for his death Funa Benkei. However, it can also be used for powerful deities such as the God of Sumiyoshi in Takasago.

Hatachi amari 廿余

• Roles Ghost of a man.

• Plays Akogi, Utō, Fujitō etc.

• Act Any

• Play category Fourth, fifth

• Shite school All

• Features Disheveled hair; natural eyebrows; sunken eyes, looking down; boney but with fleshy mouth and only upper teeth. No gold.

• Wig Kashira

Notes The name of this type of mask means ‘almost twenty’. It represents the ghost of a young man. Created for the role of the deceived fisher boy in Fujito, it is also used as alternative to Yase-otoko (emaciated man) in plays such as Akogi and Utō. 

Shōjō 猩々

• Roles The wine-loving creature Shōjō

• Plays Shōjō

• Act N/A

• Play category Fifth

• Shite school All

• Features Red complexion; bedraggled hair; Smiling mouth, both upper and lower teeth rows are visible.

• Wig Red kashira

Notes The name of this type of mask derives from the name of the character  and of the play Shōjō where a sea spirit brings prosperity to a wine merchant. The red complexion evokes his love of wine.The bedraggled hair on the forehead suggests he emerged from the water, while the smiling mouth and eyes express his pleasant inebriation. The features resemble those of the youthful mask Dōji, except the red coloring and more sculpted eyes and mouth.

Ko-tobide 小飛出

• Roles Supernatural being.

• Plays Kokaji, Sesshōseki, Nue, etc.

• Act Second

• Play category First, Fifth

• Shite school All

• Features Reddish complexion; arched eyebrows; no ears; bulging golden eyes (metal fittings); golden teeth; pointed mustache. gaping mouth, tongue, narrow mouth hole.

• Wig Kashira

Notes The name of this type of mask literally means ‘small jump out’, referring to the bulging eyes, and to its smaller size in comparison with Ō-tobide (below). This type of mask is used for a variety of roles, including the deity of Mt. Inari in the form of a fox-god (Kokaji). A version of the same mask called saru–tobide (saru means ‘monkey’) is often preferred for the chimaera-like bird in Nue. Despite its male appearance, ko-tobide is also used to portray Tamamo-no-mae, a female fox demon (Sesshōseki), in which case the mustache may be interpreter as the fox whiskers. In addition to saru–tobide, versions are dei-ko-tobide (painted gold) and kiba–tobide (whiteish, with protruding fangs).

Ō-tobide 大飛出

• Roles Deity.

• Plays Kamo, Kuzu, Arashiyama, Kokaji, etc.

• Act Second

• Play category First, Fifth

• Shite school All

• Features Full gold paint; thin, arched eyebrows; ears; bulging golden eyes; golden teeth; gaping mouth, with a narrow mouth hole; thin mustache.

• Wig Kashira

Notes The name of this type of mask literally means "large jump out," referring to the bulging eyes, and to its larger size in comparison with Ko-tobide (above). Its size is considerably larger and more deeply sculptured than Ko-tobide. Used primarily for powerful deities like the Thunder God in Kamo, Ō-tobide may also substitute for the smaller Ko-tobide in some performance variants.

Kurohige 黒髭

• Roles Dragon god

• Plays Chikubu-shima, Kasuga Ryūjin, Mekari, etc.

• Act Second

• Play category First, Fifth

• Shite school All

• Features Hat line; light brown or gold complexion; U-shaped eyebrows; mustache; golden eyes (metal fittings), frowning; gaping mouth, with a narrow mouth hole; protruding jaw.

• Wig Kashira

Notes The name of this type of mask literally means "black beard," referring to its black whiskers. The bulging eyes and gaping mouth with exposed tongue convey the vigor of the dragon god and group this mask among the Tobide-style masks. The actor would wear a crown with dragon figure to clarify the identity of the role.

Shishiguchi 獅子口

• Roles Mythical lion or demon

• Plays Shakkyō, Tsuchigumo, etc.

• Act Second

• Play category Fifth

• Shite school All

• Features Full gold paint with red highlighting the deep furrows; ears; gold eyes and teeth (metal fittings); gaping mouth, with a narrow mouth hole; pointed canines.

• Wig Red or white kashira

Notes The name of this type of mask means "lion mouth." It is primarily used in the play Shakkyō for the role of mythical lions (shishi), messengers of the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī (Monjū bosatsu). Variations of the mask are used for lion father (ō-jishi) and children (ko-jishi).

Shikami 顰

• Roles Powerful deity or demon.

• Plays Shari, Tsuchigumo, Hiun, Tanikō, etc.

• Act Second

• Play category Fifth

• Shite school All

• Features Reddish complexion; deep furrows; frowning, eyebrows partially covering the eyeholes; ears; golden eyes (metal fittings) and teeth ; pointed canines.

• Wig Red kashira

Notes The name of this type of mask means ‘frown’, referring to its deep furrows and angry expression. Shikami masks are used for characters representing evil demons (Shari, Tsuchigumo, Hiun, etc.) or powerful deities (Tanikō).