Even Japanese people joke that Noh dramas equal no drama, but the masks worn by actors performing the world’s slowest-moving and most obscure style of theater are miracles of the carvers’ art.
And not because they’re such lifelike representations of the elephants…
cranes…
foxes…
and monkeys.
No, these masks are especially fabulous for another reason: even though they’re carved from single pieces of wood, they can change their expressions!
If the actor tilts his head up or down, the character can go from surprised to fearful…
or cheerful to downright angry…
in the blink of an eye!
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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