Vintage Japanese Noh Mask Natural Wood Carving of Okame (Otafuku), Goddess of Mirth and Sensuality | “Ko-Omoto Noh-Men”, Unsigned

Dimensions: 8-1/2”h x 5-1/2” w and 3-1/4”d

This vintage wooden Japanese Okame mask (kazariment). Okame is also known under Uzume, Otafuku, and Okame.  

Typical of this character of Okame is an exuberant smile with her tongue and teeth fully detailed. Her mask glows in keeping with her personality for the wood from which it is made. She has expressive pierced eyes and large pronounced cheeks with dimples. Her hair is beautifully combed emphasizing the carving and fully detailed. This piece is carved from cypress wood with no ornamentation but carving of the face and hair. She is particularly seen in Japanese Kyogen Theater acts. 

The unidentified artist crafted this piece precisely in every delightful detail focused on bountiful luck and joy. She is usually paired in Kyogen with her husband Hyottoko symbolizing a happy couple. Additionally, both are worshipped together in November’s Tori-no-ichi festival.

Some Japanese scholars theorize that long ago when the first Okame images were created, they may have represented an idealized form of feminine beauty. She is linked to the mythological story of “Ame no Mikoto” who was thought to restore light to the earth. This mask has strong religious connotations, is most likely made by a temple carver, and is unsigned which was purchased from a monk raising money at the Shizuoka Temple Market. Other masks that were signed were done by a carver in one of the high-position families that specifically made masks for the large Noh Theater productions.

Difference between Kyogen and Noh:

Noh is a formal form of theatre involving music, dance, and drama performed in masks and elaborate costumes. Noh performances are traditionally all day and feature a play from the five categories: God, Warrior, Woman, Deranged, and Demon. Each category has a specific mask and costume in which the Shite performs the main role. Noh is developed with Kyogen comic performances offered as an intermission from the longer play.

Kyogen is a form of traditional Japanese theatre that developed as a sort of intermission and comic relief between the solemn Noh acts. The Kyogen is very short, so costumes, masks, and props are simple and minimal with music produced by flute, drums, and gong to stimulate the imagination of Noh play audiences.

Condition: Excellent with no surface imperfections.