roujo　老女

KEY WORD :　art history / sculptures

A noh mask *noumen 能面 representing the aged, yet beautiful face of the hundred-year-old poetess Ono no Komachi 小野小町. Despite sunken cheeks, the smooth face bears a quiet sobriety seen in the down-cast eyes, well-formed eyebrow bones, gently open mouth, and light grey coloring. A few loose strands of the black and white hair fall across the cheeks and broad forehead, but the haunting beauty of Komachi's young days remains evident. The Houshou 宝生 school records that roujo is intended as a mask for the play SEKIDERA KOMACHI 関寺小町 (Komachi at Sekidera), but it can also be used for other plays about Komachi when she was old, such as OUMU KOMACHI 鸚鵡小町 (Komachi and the parrot) and SOTOBA KOMACHI 卒都婆小町 (Komachi and a stupa). The mask type is attributed to the 15c carver Himi Munetada 氷見宗忠 (see *jissaku 十作) and is used by all five schools of noh. A few roujo masks have sharp, triangular cheek bones like those of *yaseonna 痩女 and/or wrinkles and slit eyes like *uba 姥.

REFERENCES:

*onnamen 女面, *komachi 小町, *higakionna 桧垣女

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NOTES:

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