Is there a signifigance to the eye brow position? (higher than normal) How were the maskes made and used?
2007-01-09 13:11:01 · 4 answers · asked by shelau 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Theater & Acting
The reason why the eyebrows are higher than normal, is because the farther away the eyebrows were away from the eyes, the more fashionable it was back then (Today, no, it's not fashionable in Japan!).
The masks are used to represent different characters in the story. They are made by professional mask makers. Check this link and where it says 9/20, that's one of the professional mask makers in Shimane prefecture:
http://www.home-tv.co.jp/jstation/perform/2005/0509.html
(By the way, most mask makers are men. I've never heard of women mask makers.)
It says on the website, that the masks are made by first, shaping it with clay, then layering it with Japanese paper, called washi. However, others are made with wood.
Check this site out too! It has the mask and images of Noh:
http://www15.ocn.ne.jp/~noo/
I hope this helped!
2007-01-10 14:16:28 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They were made and used for the Noh drama which uses ancient Japanese music and utilizes extremely slow motions. Each mask represents one of the kinds of the characters in the play--like woman or man, etc. I'd find a book if you ant a lot of detail.
2007-01-09 22:40:33 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Body positions were also important in Noh Theatre and went hand in hand with the masks. So be sure to check that out.
2007-01-12 01:26:19 · answer #3 · answered by darrahdragon 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Finding a book is a good ideea! There are few characters in Noh theatre but there are thousands of positions each heaving its own meaning!
2007-01-10 08:13:26 · answer #4 · answered by zanazorilor 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋