Japanese masks: six masks of characters in Noh plays, including two representing a dog and a demon, with an old man shown on the right. Colour woodcut with pop-up flaps on strings, 1860/1920?.

  • Utagawa, Kunisada, 1823-1880.
Date:
1860/[1920?]
Reference:
570995i
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About this work

Description

Six masks depicting different characters found in Japanese Noh plays, represented as on the stage (though it has also been suggested that they are represented as festival masks hung up in a shrine like votive plaques). They are introduced by the man on the right who performs the prelude to Noh dramas (Okina). Left to right: a demon; a fox or dog character; a demon; a comic character; a woman overcome by an evil spirit; a demon.

Publication/Creation

[Japan] : [publisher not identified], 1860/[1920?]

Physical description

1 print : woodcut, printed in colours ; sheet 21.7 x 36.8 cm

Lettering

Includes stamps and inscriptions in Japanese script Lettering in Japanese, including (in the vertical panel to the right of the man) text translated as: New edition of charity masks

Reference

Wellcome Collection 570995i

Type/Technique

Languages

Where to find it

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