fushikizou　節木増

KEY WORD :　art history / sculptures

Knotted zou. A noh mask *noumen 能面, representing a mature young woman. A mere suggestion of a smile lingers on the lips of this beautiful mask with high forehead (not as broad as *koomote 小面 or *magojirou 孫次郎), and smooth cheeks. The oval outlines of the face and wide-set eyes, high eyebrows and hair style (two loose strands eminating at the part and pulled back above the eyebrows where three new strands begin to fall down along the side of the cheek, and three extra strands loop across the juncture) are almost identical to the features of a young woman's mask *wakaonna 若女, used by the Kanze 観世 school. Fushikizou has a joyous sobriety, the horizontal brush strokes of the final coat of white-wash *gofun 胡粉 lending the mask a reserved and dignified expression. A resin stain from a knot in the wood at the nose bridge forms the identifying feature of the original mask and inspires its name. This blemish is often simulated in copies of the mask. This original is said to have been carved by Zouami Hisatsugu 増阿弥久次, a prominant actor belonging to the Oumi Sarugaku 近江申楽 group of the late 14c, early 15c who was admired by Zeami Motokiyo 世阿弥元清 (1363-1443) for his graceful dancing. The Houshou 宝生 school uses fushikizou as their standard mask for young woman protagonists, shite シテ in such plays as NONOMIYA 野宮 (The Shrine in the Fields), *IZUTSU 井筒 (The Well), EGUCHI 江口 (The River Mouth), or *YOUKIHI 楊貴妃 (Yangguifei). Other schools may use fushikizou as a substitute for zou 増 in roles of angles or devine women.

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