Asakurajô (Old Man Asakura) Noh mask

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Asakurajô masks are used for older male roles such as woodcutters, fishermen, and ferrymen. The gaunt face and pronounced wrinkles point to a life of hard work. Little of the white pigment that once covered the face remains, while red pigment on the lips can still be discerned. The name of the mask may have originated when a similar mask was given to Lord Asakura Takakage (1493–1546), daimyo of a region in what is today western Shizuoka. One account claims that the mask may even have resembled him.

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