The following photo series of samurai masks is the second installment of a series made in response to visiting The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Arms and Armour department. The first installment is on samurai armour.

The masks evoke something otherworldly to me. While working on this series, I kept imagining them coming into light through smoke and mist; a merging of the ethereal and the physical.

About Samurai Masks

Samurai masks were made primarily of iron and/or leather and were often finished with lacquer to offer protection from the elements and to enhance the beauty and craftsmanship of the piece. The masks were worn to protect the face and/or neck of a samurai, as well as to assist balancing the heavy weight of a samurai’s helmet. Samurai masks were tied to a samurai’s face by cord and often contained a small hole at the bottom to assist in keeping one’s face dry from accumulated sweat. Additionally, samurai masks were worn to conceal the identity of a samurai, to hide emotions during battle and to evoke fear in one’s enemies.

By the 16th century, as conflict in feudal Japan diminished, in addition to the introduction of firearms by the Portuguese, the masks were worn more so to display status, strength and individuality than for utility. Samurai armour, in general, became symbolic, a throwback to earlier medieval times and an outlet to showcase prestige and craftsmanship.

Mask

Lacquered iron

Inscribed by Myochin Muneakira, 1673 – 1745

Japanese, Edo period, dated 1713

The sharp beak-like nose indicates that this mask represents a type of mountain demon (tengu).

Mask

Lacquered iron

Inscribed by Myochin Muneakata

Japanese, Edo period, 18th century

Mask

Information not available (on my behalf, not the museum’s. I seem to have missed it.)

Mask in the Shape of a Mountain Demon’s Face

Lacquered iron, silk

Edo Period, early 18th century

This mask is made in three detachable parts (lower face, nose, and forehead), so that it could be worn as a full face mask (somen), half mask (mempo), or as a chin and cheek guard (hoate) only. The fierce face and prominent nose are intended not only to display the armorer’s skill but also to give the mask’s wearer the appearance of a certain type of malevolent mountain demon (tengu).

Mask

Lacquered iron, hair, silk

Japanese, probably Muromachi period, possibly 15th century

This is one of the earliest surviving examples of a full face mask (somen). It is also very rare for being modeled on a specific character from Noh drama: the happy old man (okina) with distinctive white eyebrows and beard.

Mask

Lacquered iron, silk

Inscribed by Myochin Muneakira, 1673 – 1745

Japanese, Edo period, dated 1745

Muneakira’s masterpiece, this mask was already famous when it was first published in 1763. It represents Jikokuten, guardian of the East, one of the Four Kings of Heaven. The mask is also one of the few to retain its original silk head covering sewn to the upper edges.

References

http://www.way-of-the-samurai.com/Samurai-Masks.html

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/j/japanese-arms-and-armour/

The above pieces are from photos taken at The Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York, New York in December of 2014. Each description found below all photos in this series is copyright of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I have only copied what was found beside each piece in the exhibit.