JAPANESE CULTURE, EXPLAINED
小面
Ko-omote is a type of Noh mask representing a young woman. Its rounded cheeks, narrow eyes and slightly open mouth belong to a fixed carved face, yet a performance can make that face appear to change.
The Japan Arts Council identifies ko-omote with the youngest female roles and draws attention to its full cheeks. A Konparu-family mask in the Tokyo National Museum is dated to the fifteenth–sixteenth century. Its date, maker or earlier owners describe that individual object; they do not establish the age or authorship of the entire mask type.
Young women in Noh are represented by several mask types. A Tokyo National Museum account uses choices for plays such as Hagoromo to show how masks can suggest different qualities of a character. Selecting a ko-omote involves the role and the particular carved mask available, rather than a rule that every female character requires the same face.
The eyelids, cheeks, nose and mouth create permanent raised and recessed surfaces. A change in the performer’s head angle alters their relationship to light and to the audience’s view. A face can consequently seem brighter, quieter or more troubled. A simple equation between one tilt and one emotion leaves out the mask’s individual shape and its lighting.
The mask has no moving facial muscles. A turn, a held position or a change in the body’s direction places its face within an unfolding performance. Costume, dance and the sung text help establish the character too. A frontal photograph can reveal carving, but cannot supply the whole effect of the mask in motion.
No. It is one of several types used for female characters.
No. A type and the maker or date of an individual mask are separate information.
No. Shape, lighting, viewpoint and the surrounding performance all affect the impression.