Noh mask of Hannya.

metal and glare out. The horns, once also gilded but now repainted, are the embodiment of evil. The mouth is drawn back in a ferocious snarl revealing golden fangs. Veins stand out on the forehead, and it is only the fine traces of hair which indicate that this was once a beautiful woman. The Hannya mask has become synonymous with female characters of this type. The mask is used in plays of the Fourth Group such as Dojoji and Aoi-no Ue. The mask is carved from a single piece of hinoki with the horns added as separate pieces and fitted into sockets on the upper part of the forehead. There is a substantial layer of gofun over which the details have been added. The surface of the mask is painted white with delicate details in pale pink emphasising the creases on the face. The hair is finely drawn in sumi and also helps indicate the transformation from human to demon. The top of the head is painted with the parting and fine hair typically found on a mask of a beautiful woman, but many fine strands of dishevelled hair are drawn around the forehead. The strands of fine hair (associated with the mask of a young woman) double back in to the parting to join up with the main area of hair but stop abruptly in the middle of the forehead. Throbbing veins are also visible on the forehead, indicating the wrath and anger of Hannya. The protuberant ears and jutting chin demonstrate further how far removed from humanity the once human character has now come. The depiction of the transformation from a beautiful woman to the demonic Hannya has been perfectly executed by the skills of the carver.