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oumionna@‹ί]—
KEY WORD :@art history / sculptures
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Woman of oumi. A noh mask *noumen ”\–Κ representing a young-to-middle-aged woman. The high, thin eyebrows and hair strands are similar to *wakaonna Žα—, but the heavier eye lids whose outer corners droop down, the tighter lips, and the less-full cheeks lend the mask a maturity and strong emotionalism. A sense of lurking coquetry can be seen in the scarlet flush to the upper lip and cheeks. The lower teeth, barely visible behind the lip, form a unique feature not seen in any other women's masks and suggest oumionna's tenacity of attachment. The expressive immediacy of this mask typifies a commoner, as opposed to a court lady, more appropriately represented by a mask of elegant reserve, such as *fushikizou ί–Ψ‘ or wakaonna. The slightly rounded pupil openings of oumionna, reminiscent of *deigan “DŠα, reflect an old prototype used by the oumi sarugaku ‹ί]\Šy troup centered at the southern edge of Lake Biwa ”ϊ”i. The oumi sarugaku women's masks, with their strong emotional appeal, were to inspire the women's masks of the yamato sarugaku ‘ε˜a\Šy troupes (the ancestors of the modern noh schools).
Oumionna can be used by all schools for roles of intense passion, such as the dancer who once wished to marry an unrequiting priest appearing in the first act of DOUJOUJI “Ή¬Ž›, or a village woman who later turns into a venomous spirit in SESSHOUSEKI ŽEΆΞ (Death Rock). An old mask attributed to the Muromachi period carver Echi ‰z’q and possibly that which Zeami Motokiyo ’ˆ’–νŒ³΄ (1363-1443) comments on as being "mature, yet fleshy" in the SARUGAKU DANGI \Šy’k‹` (1430), is presently owned by the head of the Kanze ŠΟ’ school.
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NOTES
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(C)2001 Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System.@No reproduction or republication without written permission.
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