Why Are NOH Masks So Scary?

[@JosephKerr27]

I agree that portraying multiple emotions is the most fascinating aspect of these masks. When I learned that a simple tilt up or down of the head could change emotions, I immediately appreciated the genius of using forced perspective in such a way. Truly worthy of UNESCO designation!

[@TokyoPinkCatGirl]

I feel like another reason for why they look scary is cause of "uncanny valley". You see it a lot when video games try to make hyper realistic models, but just "aren't quite right", such as how they move.

[@ChickinSammich]

I thought the same as well!

[@games_on_phone89]

that's just what i thought about

[@bravomike4734]

Except this isn't an hyper realistic attempt so I don't think it's that. I think its seriously because of the mixture of the expressions in the masks.

[@Algorithm_God_Cult]

@@bravomike4734 it's almost that, it works like the Michael Myers mask, it's a human face, but the static expression of the face causes discomfort because it has no reactions, it resembles a human, but it doesn't act like a human

[@ChloeKruegerSenpai]

@@Algorithm_God_Cult meanwhile Jason Voorhees's Mask *Hockey intensiifies*

[@kamikaze00007]

I remember hearing somewhere that one of these Noh masks actually change expressions from smiling to frowning when you look at it at an angle from either above or below. It's supposed to be a purposely engineered design feature and making a mask that is able to properly accomplish that illusion is what differentiates a master Noh mask craftsman from a novice. Is this true?

[@LetsaskShogo]

Thank you for leaving a comment! And yes I believe that is true✨

[@skye387]

I'd love to actually see that effect :0

[@mikotagayuna8494]

At this point, it is easier to list aspects of Japanese culture that Shogo is NOT training in. Gotta admire the energy and enthusiasm.

[@PeteSaJut6499]

I guess you could say, this was a video with a lot of NOHwledge

[@LetsaskShogo]

😎😎😎

[@risingstar9903]

We got a pun lad!

[@chrismayer3919]

HEY! I do the bad puns around here; it’s NOH contest!!!

[@JoyboyGamingYT1]

567 likes with the creator replying and 4 replys CRAZY

[@Red80008]

I NOH, right?

[@sourround2002]

I took drama courses in highschool where we learned about different theater arts from various cultures. When we learned about Noh, we were taught about how the single mask was used to convey multiple expressions by tilting the mask up or down (I didn't know about left and right) and I thought that was very clever. Using the masks to portray gods and spirits reminds me also of how ancient Greek theater would use masks to portray their gods as well!

[@メシャ]

OH MY GOD THE LEFT SIDE AND RIGHT SIDE BEING DIFFERENT EMOTIONS BECAUSE OF THE SHAPE OF THE THEATERS IS GENIUS!!!! You get the impression of the right side first, and as they leave, their hidden inner face Wow

[@bill6177]

Wow, thank you for this video. These are questions I've had for a long time. Even native Japanese people I've asked really had a hard time explaining this to me.

[@astranova970]

I had the female mask at the front entrance of my house in Japan. It was creepy but I felt kind of 'protected' as she watched the visitors that entered my house.

[@secangkir-kopiplaymate1765]

So It's like in every culture of many countries while they are doing something with Mask, they are going into Trance Mode.

[@sydneymulder9930]

Thank you for this video! I'm in the middle of a project for my Japanese art class and the topic I'm covering is Noh masks, so this is super helpful!

[@LetsaskShogo]

I am very happy that you say so😊

[@duVallonFecit]

Really surprising to know that Noh theatre started so late!!!! It reminds the origins of western theatre in archaic Greece (6th-5th centuries BC), when mithological stories were played with masks of the gods. They believed that the spirit of the divinity entered in the body of the masked person (it was called "enthusiamos"). Also the time Noh was a street performance and a funny show resembles the "pantomima" made by ancient Romans. Historians and archaeologists had found lot of evidences that religious/mythological plays with masks were played by shamans since prehistoric times all around the globe. So I really believed Noh was a kind of theatre that came from the origins of Japan history.

[@foderator8277]

played Tomb Raider, and they introduced these mask changing expressions simply by tilting it up and down truly a cool way to showcasing it in the game

[@risingstar9903]

That kind of trick does also exist

[@sevenproxies4255]

As my profile picture might reveal: i'm somewhat fascinated with masks and mask making (the one in the picture is my own creation). I've always liked the hannya mask the most. I especially like the very stylized ones where the facial features have very sharp corners and angles. I'd like to get a hard plastic one someday to work on and adding lights to it.

[@jorgegarzon1269]

I watched two noh plays in Japan, and was amazed by the masks and the music. I didn't know about the left-right differences! :)

[@billspooks]

Again, as before, Thank You SO Much...!!! I wanted to know more about these masks after seeing Ghibli Studios, "Spirited Away" in which the "No Face Man" wears this mask. They are SO COOL. You put an enormous amount of work into making such wonderful videos.

[@martag029]

What a fascinating video, Shogo! I think the masks of the women are creepier than the demons because they are more lifelike but odd and uncanny.

[@patrickstewart3446]

There’s a documentary (circa 1979) called “Budo: the Art of Killing” that uses Noh actors to segue between the different weapons. Appropriately, the Ko-Omote mask was used for the naginata. 🙂

[@marenkuether-ulberg3311]

Thank you very much for this concise lesson! It feels quite familiar to me because I spent ten years or so doing classical Greek theatre where we often wore masks to portray gods and spirits as well. Putting on and wearing masks was one step deeper into your character and was called “inhabiting the mask” and stepping back from the self. Noh theature is fascinating to me like that. Quite the art.

[@Player-re9mo]

Shogo: What does this mask represent? Me: A fat white man Shogo: A beautiful young woman Me: 🤯

[@eeeithan6588]

White is more for skin tone not the asian, African, american, europian thing.

[@Player-re9mo]

@@eeeithan6588 well, I was referring to the skin color, not the race.

[@amosamwig8394]

@@eeeithan6588 We dont say white in europe aswell, we refer to ethnicity

[@TimothyLau55]

Me: so beautiful 😍

[@DarksteelHeart]

I learned about the Noh Hannya mask because of Majima Goro's Yakuza back tattoo. Hannya has a pretty intense story and it's very fitting for Goro-San.

[@xaagripha7326]

the poly expression is what creeps people out. the faces of those masks will make one project ones introspective reflection upon it and be over stimulated do to it, the faces of these masks will also boast a void like feeling associated with emotionless predatory behavior. its actually the same reason venetian masks are creepy as well as Micheal Myers mask.

[@RubykonCubes3668]

That was such a relaxing and interesting video! Tbf, now that i've learned about Hannya's backstory (which i also thought was meant to be a demon or sth like it), i smh feel sympathetic? She seems to be that one tragic character, so looking at the yet still oddly unsettling mask also makes me feel kind of bittersweet.

[@nero6271]

My obsession with Noh theater started thanks to Tekken 6’s Noh Theater stage. The music, the visuals. It genuinely made fall in love with this aspect of Japanese culture.

[@easterntrees]

Shogo, thank you for this excellent video. I'm interested in many traditional japanese performing arts, but often western resources discussing them are lacking. I would much rather learn from a japanese person, and you are very skilled at conveying these difficult to explain intangible cultural concepts. would you consider making a video on bunraku? I'm extremely interested in it in particular, and it seems to be the art form on which there is the least amount of information in english. thank you for all your hard work!

[@WaveLissy]

When I remember this right... there was an episode of Inu Yasha whith a cursed Noh mask.... it scared me so much, when I was younger And thank you for this amazing video! This topic is so interesting! Have a nice day 😊

[@ajayredonkulus6628]

I see a lot of parallels between this and Graeco-Roman mask use in theatre. Fascinating to see the history behind these. Absolutely love this channel!

[@georgepitts1057]

Thank you for making easy the process of learning about the culture and history of Japan .

[@marcelapontes7033]

Loved to learn all this! Thank you!

[@TekkenTagokOCiD]

Thank you for this video (as well)! Since I live in Japan I try to understand a lot of things and it’s help very much.

[@baditude41]

Shogo, thank you so very much for explaining this, as I've always wondered what these masks represented. Thank you for helping me understand more about them, and Noh Theater!

[@jy3523]

This video caught my eye as I realised I had seen these Noh Masks in a museum I recently visited. I did not have a lot of knowledge on Noh Theatre beforehand so this video was really interesting and informative! Thank you for shedding a light on this form of art, I now feel honoured to have seen these masks up close! ⭐️

[@AmyraCarter]

Ko' Omote: *Existential Dread* combined with *Hopes and Dreams* (I definitely dropped a reference here). Hannya: *Terminal Exhaustion* combined with *Sorrowful Angst* Hakushiki' Jo: *Peaceful* combined with *A Little Tipsy* I can see why these masks would incite fear. For me, watching a Noh Theatre performance would likely put me in a trance because of how fascinating and enchanting I find the masks. It's different vibes for me, but I'd enjoy it. Absolutely.

[@tofuschnitzel96]

Thanks for your video. I never thought. that these masks are so more complex than "oh its scary-looking". You clarified it up a lot. Greetings from germany!

[@jacquehohenheim7934]

This was a very interesting video! I especially like the Hannya mask, and even mentioned one of my OCs that I made months ago (a Futakuchi-Onna Shamisen player) wearing one during her performances when I was writing her backstory

[@pugman99]

Shogo, I had the great privilege of seeing a Noh performance in 1980, when I was at N.I.D.A. in Sydney. We studied mask use in performance in many cultures, for instance, Commedia dell'arte is another famous theatre style using masks. Enjoyed your mini lecture very much, thank you. j

[@moonflow5133]

Wow! Covering parts of the face and seeing different expressions was so cool. I'd love to see a Noh performance when I next go to Japan!

[@Skele_Rat]

You have no idea how much I love your videos, thank you!

[@juanpablogonzalez8528]

i just wanted to take a moment to appreciate the mastery that goes into the crafting of the masks, just the description of all they need to portray and the importance they have sounds daunting already

[@MackerelCat]

Fascinating. Im in Japan now and planning to see some Noh in the next week or two! This background helps with context!

[@TheMainManBD]

Excellent content and presentation. I find Japanese mythology very intriguing so I would love to see videos about them on this channel.

[@okami433]

Thank you for the video Shogo, love this topic! Want to see more videos about Noh masks; also...maybe it'll be good to have one video for each one. Greetings from Argentina!

[@LetsaskShogo]

I actually have plans to interview my Noh instructor, and there is a craftsmen who make the masks in Kyoto where I live, so I would love to visit her someday too!

[@therebel9094]

The arrangements of the three open green fans on the wall of the Kenbu centre you visited reminded me of the tree on a Nō stage.

[@MidokuTensei]

the goal of 1 million by 2023, you guys utterly shattered it

[@hackieagoncillo1577]

I really like how you calmly speak on these vlogs of yours. You are also always looking handsome every now and then. Keep it up!

[@rainyu223]

Thank you! My Music Class is on this topic right now. Which I little have known knowledge about.

[@Vykkkk]

Awesome video! I've always been fascinated with masks and the traditional Japanese ones might be my favorites. If you have the time, I'd love if you could deep dive into that subject, specially with your background!

[@pete8993]

I actually learned about the Hannya mask from the game identity v where the "hunter" named "Geisha" (Also called Michiko by her own name) has three forms and one of them is Prajna which is another way to call the hannya mask

[@midtwnscott]

Very interesting video. I confess I'm a bit ignorant about Noh theater; the only play I know is Tsuchigumo so I'm quiet ignorant and loving learning about this.

[@wilomica]

Whenever I Hannya in anime or games I am sure something scary is going to happen! I love that.

[@RDAalltheway]

Do you know who’s face this is? Me: Noh

[@ariloiola]

I got lost along the random KZbin videos highway but I'm glad I found this channel. Excellent content and presentation. Keep up the good work, mate.

[@V1C10US]

Great video! I have a hand-carved Hannya mask carved over 100 years ago in the 1900s!

[@CineShinya]

I was touched to see this video, as 12 years ago it was my thesis subject in first year in university. Back then it was so difficult to find any information about the subject and there was nothing written about it in my language. Even so, with hard work and a lot of translation, I managed to complete and ace it. And I had the honour to have Japanese Embassy of my country taking my thesis (which was about 140 book pages) in their Educational Department.

[@incogniftoar3943]

You've probably have heard or read this too much but I'll gotta say your English is so good!

[@theofilos4202]

Well, it all reminded me of a seminar class on Japanese art I had been attending since many years ago. Very nicely presented and explained.

[@websurfer8670]

Ive actually loved NOH mask since i was a child. The scariness is what i love

[@_prof.paradox_]

I love these videos. they are complete research material providing the best filtered information. favourite KZbin channel

[@zzzzzx308]

Remember when Zuko from avatar wore a mask, that was badass.

[@Momo-tc7sc]

Just found your channel and I am really enjoying it! Japan is a People with such a rich heritage and history! Thank you for making this accessible to me and others who want to know more so we can properly appreciate your culture!

[@ktutran8256]

Orochimaru and the death God's mask come to mind here. Very creepy scene with the ritualistic sacrifice of himself too.

[@GenOceanWolf_tWo_TookieTaliban]

Thank you for everything you do

[@EddyTeetree]

Hey Shogo-san. Thanks for this. I’ve been to see Japanese theatre in Tokyo. Sumo too. And may even have seen you when we watched the kenjutsu show in Kyoto. In Noh the actions of the characters seem to explain the mask. Ancient Greek theatre (Dionysus) also used masks I believe to hide the actors intentions so that the audience had to work out the meaning and direction of the story themselves? What always intrigues me mask wise are those always worn by human spirit characters in anime. Usually like a sheet covering the face with a Chinese character applied. Very mysterious. Be Well 🌞 By the way I watched Rashomon (1950 Kurosawa) last night and Harakiri(1962 Kobayashi) I think Tetsuya Nakadai may be my favourite actor! (It was Jack Nicolson 😅) What really great films. Rashomon is an intriguing film about honesty and human frailty. I’m want to find an English translation of the original story. Anyone reading this please watch these two films. They are downloadable or available from Criterion. If you like good movies I don’t think you will be disappointed 😁

[@Lazh-_-]

I found this so fascinating! I am especially a fan of the hannya mask, it creeped me out as a kid.

[@JMRM4]

6:42 What the? Ok I'll share my opinion about that mask. They say it is a scary oni or yokai but from my perspective before I've learned the origin story, I've felt sorry/pity of it because of it's expression. I was like "why is everyone scared of this sad/almost crying oni?" Heck, if you put a teardrop below its eyes then the sadness would be clear.

[@paulsimonik9103]

Outstanding video. Certainly enjoy learning more about Noh theater as I build my collection of Japanese Noh and Festival masks. Cheers, and keep up the amazing work :D

[@Ghostshark83]

I've been looking forward to this video topic and you did not disappoint! Thank you so much for the informative video about noh masks! They are creepy masks but knowing their backgrounds, I have a lot of respect for them.

[@uniquehorn1480]

Very interesting and very well presented. Thank you so much!

[@amb4367]

Very Interesting Topic and Video! Thank You! I Enjoyed it a lot!

[@art3mis196]

My favorite mask is Hannya, i love its story and how it looks like. Thank you very much for another interesting video, Shogo :)

[@1337million]

I wrote a paper once for university about Noh and Kyogen when I studied theatre and I absolutely fell in love with the masks and all the characters and emotions they represent. My personal favorite is the Usobuki mask from Kyogen. It is always surprised or scared, but it can't talk. It can only express itself by whistling!

[@refty266]

Came from KSLV Noh

[@ashorasdeanna]

This channel is just amazing. Hello from Brazil.

[@the_infinexos]

I always thought it was just an "uncanny valley" situation with the humanoid ones

[@brendapaws7933]

The first time I've seen a noh mask was in Inuyasha. This video is that second time I've seen them. I really like your videos.

[@lizawinslow4773]

Thank you Shogo. Very informative! Can you do a segment with the Indigenous peoples(tribes) of Nippon? Thanks

[@nikolamarkovic6427]

I never expected that the explanation is a little complex. I recently watched Onibaba and I think I understand this masks a little better

[@richknives9114]

This really explains that scene in avatar the last Airbender when he had to be expressionless in front of that face stealing yokai...Arigato gozaimasu

[@armorbearer9702]

Yeah, the Koh mask seemed to be his favorite face.

[@Bobbias]

I had heard of お歯黒 but never heard that explanation before. Very interesting.

[@JohnnyOTGS]

You should do a video about all of Japan's masks like the Hyotoko, the Otafuku, and the Hannya.

[@TheAlixSH]

I was literally playing Nioh 2 and I stumbled upon this video. How fitting.

[@linkkicksu]

I learned about Noh masks through Hata no Kokoro from Touhou Project. She's a menreiki youkai possessing a set of Noh masks and uses them to express her emotions.

[@topgatta]

Wonderful, I learned a lot. Thank you.

[@WhiteDragon689]

I love your videos. They are so much fun to watch. Thanks

[@Xuehuapiaopiao00]

Topeng Bali and Japanese Noh mask are very interesting

[@kharalynnauthor]

I'm going to definitely have to show my fiancé this video. I was trying to explain the reasoning behind Hannya mask symbolism the other day, and I think the way I explained it confused her, but this was perfect. Thank you!

[@shaneypoo97]

I find it strange that the first time I've ever heard of Noh was this morning on the television and now I see this video in my suggestions.

[@Muazen]

Wow Shogo, you really know masks. I'll be here all night.

[@dmweibel7423]

I believe that I saw a famous Noh stage at the Nishi Hangwanji Ha temple in Kyoto. Very beautiful

[@Tentegen]

The other masks i am not familiar with. Only Hannya's mask I am. its crazy how much cool insight you gave with this. Im a stickler with doing design work right. I thought, just like with everyone else, that the Hannya Mask was just the face of an Oni or demon. Now i have some new insight as to what i can do next to make it more accurate! Thanks Shogo~!

[@lennarthoekveen9339]

In the second part of the 1941 film of The 47 Rōnin, Kira also played in a Noh performance. Despite being very old, I can recommend that movie to anyone who's interested in Japanese history, language and culture.

[@yoboihawj6976]

Always thought to watch and subscribe to this channel for months but never did, now I regret.

[@l0stndamned]

Interesting video, I hadn't noticed the multiple emotions thing before. I think part of the scary may also come from the uncanny valley affect for some folks. I've met a few folks creeped out by masks in general.

[@CMCustom112]

Awesome explanations. I love Art history

[@daily_thaibl]

I love your videos. You explain everything so well and everything feel so more interesting that it already is after watching your videos.

[@oufe5987]

Ko-omote will always remind me of Aka Manto It's videos like this that makes Japan so interesting now that I'm (somewhat) comfortable watching Anime

[@dsgdsg9764]

So very comprehensive and informative thank you

[@AMCM663]

Watching this video after seeing Noh masks in the national museum of Tokyo. Very interesting!

[@thecatthatateaflyinduoling2513]

Earned my sub. Amazing video, and great to Noh 😁

[@armorbearer9702]

(7:36) I could kind of see how this could be a beautiful woman. The face reminds me of geisha who were highly desirable in that period.