Keywords
Art History
Sculpture
A noh mask *nōmen 能面 representing the aged, yet beautiful face of the hundred-year-old poetess Ono no Komachi 小野小町. Sunken cheeks and bony forehead are characteristics shared with *rōjo 老女, but unlike rōjo, the hair is black, the eyes have a distinctive downward slant, and the face is lined with shallow wrinkles, giving an impression of great age. The komachi mask is intended for the role of Komachi when she was old in such plays as Ōmu Komachi 鸚鵡小町 (Komachi and the parrot), Sotoba Komachi 卒都婆小町 (Komachi and a stupa), and Sekidera Komachi 関寺小町 (Komachi at Sekidera). Variations include rōjo komachi 老女小町 and sekidera komachi.