Why Are NOH Masks So Scary?

Even if you’re not a noh theater trainee like I am, I’m sure you’ve seen noh masks somewhere before. They often show up in many anime and video games as something scary but many of my friends don’t even know about their connections with the traditional stage culture. Noh theater is a mask play, so obviously they are crucial items within the show.

However, if they are simply stage items, why are they all so scary looking? Is NOH all about horror stories and ghosts?

Today, as a noh theater trainee in Kyoto, I will talk about the history of both noh theater and noh masks and explain what the 3 most famous noh masks represent.

Also at the end of the video, I will talk about the 3 reasons why noh masks are created to be so spooky and scary, so I hope you can enjoy this video till the end.

Deepening your understanding towards noh masks will not only be a chance for you to know more about the traditional theater art, but it will also allow you to enjoy anime and video games that they appear in too.

●YouTube video of my master acting as the main character with ko-omote mask
Kongo School Noh “雪 Yuki/Snow”
   • Noh -- "雪 (Yuki/Snow)" [ENG SUB]  by Isumi...  

[Time codes]
0:00 Let's START!
1:54 The History of Noh and Noh Masks
5:13 The Three Major Noh Masks
8:32 Why Noh Masks are Creepy
13:03 Today's Conclusion

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I’m Shogo, a Kyoto born & Hiroshima raised Japanese, that grew up in Michigan USA for 6 years, and studied Mandarin in Beijing university for a year! I live in Kyoto now, as I train in Iaido(katana), Sado(tea ceremony), and Noh theatre(traditional stage art).

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