Page 376 - Edo: Art in Japan, 1615–1868

cat. 217
Atsuita nô robe with poems,
seventeenth century,
gold metallic thread supplemen-
tary weft on silk twill,
143x132.8 (56 74x52 VA),
Tokyo National Museum

375

Kyógen does not rely on masks to the extent that no does, but when it uses them, it is usually
to indicate that the characters belong to nonhuman realms, either animal or supernatural. The bizarre
contortions and extreme emotions of the mask also are better suited for the rapid, often spasmodic,
movements of the kyógen actor. To be effective the mask must immediately convey the required emo-
tion in the same way that pictorial caricature in cultures East and West relies on the exaggeration of
readily identifiable characteristics, either of a particular individual or of a commonly shared expression.
Kyógen masks with human features differ from their more refined no counterparts in that they
freeze extreme emotional states. The goggly eyes and "oops" pursed lips of the usobuki mask (cat. 220)
capture the utter silliness of characters who perform skits with all the preposterousness of Sumo Wrestling