About Japanese Masks

Masks are a pan-world cultural phenomenon, which is the self-portrait of a nation and the cultural epitome of a country. Japan, which is a country close to China, is a big country of masks, and its many varieties and excellent production skills have long been recognized by the world. Over the years I have been engaged in the study of mask art, and I have been invited to Japan many times to visit Japan, and I have had the opportunity to make field trips to the masks of Japan. The Japanese have accumulated a lot of results in the study of masks, whether in bookstores, libraries, museums and shrines, you can see amazing mask books and mask objects everywhere. Archaeological data show that masks made of shells and clay were produced in Japan as early as the Jomon period (about 1600 B.C.), but in the course of later development, they were gradually influenced by foreign cultures, especially Chinese culture. There are many masks in Japan whose original shape comes from China, and the famous "Lanling King" mask, a treasure of the Japanese royal family, comes from the Chinese music and dance "Lanling King". According to legend, Gao Changgong, the king of Lanling in Northern Qi Dynasty, had a beautiful face, like a woman, and he thought that his appearance was not powerful enough to defeat the enemy, so he wore a mask when he fought in the war. Teachers Square Records: "big face out of Northern Qi, Lanling King Changgong nature of courage and courage, and looks like a woman, since he suspected that not enough to defeat the enemy, was carved wood for the mask, the battlefield." Zhen Guan four years, Japan's Shu Ming Emperor envoys to China, the Tang dynasty envoys in the Kabuki masters introduced a large number of Tang music and dance, music and dance "King of Lanling" by the Tang dynasty dance students brought back to Japan after much love, the Emperor celebrated the Empress Dowager's fortieth birthday in the Palace of the Qingliang feast, then eight-year-old Prince Ching number of personal dance "King of Lanling", visible "King of Lanling" music and dance is very popular in Japan.

Japanese masks can be roughly divided into kabuki face, dance music face, line road face, chase Nuo face and can music face. Kabuki, also known as "Wu music", is the North and South Dynasties when China's Wu popular folk music and dance, in the twenty years of Emperor Taikoo (612 AD), by the monk flavor of the Mochi introduced to Japan, usually performed at the Buddhist temple. At Todaiji Temple in Nara, where the monk Ganjin practiced Buddhism, kabuki is performed every year on the Buddha's Birthday and the Bon Festival. Tōdaiji Shōkurain is Japan's famous national treasures collection, within the "Wu female" masks, is the Princess of Wu, the shape of its face rich, head combed double bun, a look of Tang women's rich and noble attitude, is typical of the Tang Dynasty girls dress. And China this kind of modeling masks in the folk are numerous, Pingxiang, Jiangxi Nuo Nuo face "Mei Xiang", like "Chang'an daughter bun crows, with the wind while the butterfly to learn from the prematurely evil". Dance music for the Tang Dynasty song and dance theater, the Tang Dynasty, called "Yan music" or "feast music", used for court banquets. It was introduced to Japan in 686-697 A.D., and was mainly used to express the life of the nobles. Its performances were elegant, aristocratic, and highly artistic, and it was divided into the left dance and the right dance. The left dance is Tangle music, Tianzhu music, and Rinyi music, with dances such as "King of Lanling," "Plucking the Head," "Cai Sang Lao," "Sumo Man," and "King of Qin's Broken Formation Music. The right dances are Goryeo music and Bohai music, with "Nasen-ri" and "Shin-usu". It so happened that on January 22, Tokyo Asakusa Public Hall public performance of the "Miyako Yaku", I went to observe, the stage layout is very much in the style of the Tang Dynasty, "seated part of the Kabuki" and "standing part of the Kabuki", silk strings, drums and flutes, one seated and one standing on both sides. Sumo" is also the Tang dynasty popular in Chang'an splash of cold Hu opera "Sumojiao", the dancers wear masks, wearing a straw raincoat, holding a rafter in the hands, hands and feet still have the traditional Chinese opera heritage. Mask modeling is also typical of Chinese apes and monkeys.