Keywords
Art History
Sculpture
Lit. "old man." A type of mask used in kyōgen 狂言 plays to represent an old man. The term ōji usually can refer either to a smiling old man with crescent eyes and wide, toothless grin, or to a deeply furrowed, lopsided face with drooping eyes, sunken cheeks, and mouth open to show a few broken teeth. The ōji mask is used for the main role in plays such as Koshi inori 腰祈 (The Back-Straightening Player), Makura monogurui 枕物狂 (Grandfather in Love), and Saihō 財宝 (Three Grandsons Named).