Page 393 - JAPAN THE SHAPING OFDAIMYO CULTURE 1185-1868

318 Koomote
polychromed wood
21.5 x 13.6 (8 Vz x 5 3/s)
Edo period, i8th century
Eisei Bunko, Tokyo

319 Koomote
polychromed wood
21.0 X 13.5 (8 V4 X 5 3/8)
Edo period, i8th century
Eisei Bunko, Tokyo

One of the earliest No masks to be devel-
oped, Koomote represents the counte-
nance of a calm young woman, her neatly
arranged hair parted in the middle, with
three loose, but not overlapping, strands
on either side. Ko (literally, "small"), the
first Japanese character of the two that
form the word koomote, suggests the
youth, freshness and charm embodied in
this mask. Reflecting the standard of
beauty from the Heian period on, the oval
face is full, with eyebrows shaved and re-
painted high on the wide forehead. The
teeth are blackened (ohaguro), with a paste
made of powdered iron filings and gall
nuts steeped in vinegar or tea; this was a
cosmetic fashion adopted by young
women on coming of age.
Although Koomote represents a gen-
eral character type, subtle differences
among masks are apparent. Some empha-
size youthful freshness, some refinement,
some a delicately erotic charm. Cat. 319,
for example, suggests the last, with full
cheeks and relatively widely parted lips.
On the back of this mask is an inscrip-
tion of Déme Yükan. Yükan Mitsuyasu
(d. 1652) was a disciple and successor of Ze-
kan Yoshimitsu, founder of the Ono
branch of the prominent Déme family of
No mask makers. MK

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