The Noh Masks

The masks in Noh all have names.

Usually only the Shite, the main player, takes the mask. However, in some cases the Tsure may also take a mask, particularly for female roles. The Noh masks are used to portray a female or nonhuman (divine, demonic or animal) character. There are also Noh masks to represent youngsters or old men. On the other hand, the Noh actor who takes no mask plays a role of an adult man in his twenties, thirties or forties. The side player, waki, takes no mask either.

The best Noh masks have the ability to change emotions according to how the light strikes the mask. An inanimate mask can have the appearance of being happy, sad, angry or a variety of other emotions simply by changing how the light strikes the contours of the mask. There have been studies done on this spectacular ability of Noh Masks