Collection
Noh Mask: Dōji
| Noh Mask: Dōji |
| Color on wood (hinoki cypress); mask length 20.7 cm; Muromachi period, 16th century; Gift of the Ii Family |
One of the masterworks in the Ii family collection, this mask represents an immortal being (sennin) as a handsome boy, symbolizing perpetual youth. Strands of hair over the forehead, crescent-shaped eyebrows, and almond eyes give the figure a glow not quite of this world. The rough-hewn back contrasts with the meticulous shaping of the front, a feature of older masks. The back has the kiwame (authentication certificate) inscription in gold paint (kindei) of the noh performer Hōshō Tayū, who identified the mask-maker as “Himi.”
