Noh mask kumasaka

Description

Carved wooden mask from the Noh theatre signed. Showa era. A very good reproduction work of Horai (宝来)’s Kumasaka. Great colour. Brass eyes. Depiting Kumasaka no Chouhan 熊坂長範 who was a mighty thief. Although the size and features of kumasaka reveal a strong character, the mask hints at a touch of the comic. Deep grooves shaped like sideway at both sides of the mouth emphasize the strength with which kumasaka determinedly –almost ridiculously — clamps his broad mouth shut.

Noh masks have long been an integral part of Japan’s religious rituals, festivals and theatre. They represent historical figures and spirits referred to as kami, which have their origins in Japan’s indigenous beliefs. Traditionally, the mask symbolised ‘possession’, transforming the wearer into the kami or its human incarnation.

1:1 scale (20 x 15 cm aprox.)