Use Restrictions

Public Domain. There are no known restrictions.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Illustrated scroll of samples of Noh masks and a record of props, in Japanese "Noh-men hinagata emono hikae," C0495, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Purchased by Steve Gerber on March 16, 2018 from Schubertiade Music.

Processing Information

Processing completed by Amanda Brent in November 2021. EAD markup completed by Amanda Brent in November 2021. This item was formerly part of the Performing Arts Manuscript Materials collection, C0215.

Primary Japanese translation and research credit goes to Yoko Ferguson, Metadata and Cataloging Librarian at George Mason University Libraries. Additional translation and research credit goes to Reiko Yoshimura at the Freer Gallery of Art/Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Library, Smithsonian Institution Libraries.

Historical Information

Noh theatre is a traditional Japanese style of theatre created in the 14th century, and is the oldest continuously performed theatrical tradition in the world. Noh plays, which combine drama, music, and dance, are very structured with specific characters, emotions, words, and costumes. In Noh there are always designated roles (played by men), which in turn determine the masks worn. These masks inform the audience which character is which. Traditionally, Noh masks are carved from Japanese cypress. There are more than 200 Noh masks in use today.

Scope and Content

An illustrated scroll - or emakimono - of samples of masks and a record of props used in Noh theater. The scroll measures nearly 30 feet in length when unrolled and is constructed of individual illustrated leaves that have been adhered together to create the scroll. When rolled, the scroll is housed in a wooden box. The scroll features illustrations of masks and props from traditional Japanese Noh theatre, including masks of characters from a variety of plays, such as Yama-uba, Hannya, Atsumori, Shunkan, and Ikkaku Sennin.

The scroll was likely used as a visual catalogue of items by a collector of Noh masks and props. It is possible this scroll is a copy of an original scroll, based off of the title's translation.

Arrangement

This is a single item collection.

Related Material

The Special Collections Research Center also holds rare books on Japan and Japanese culture.

The Nogami Memorial Noh Theatre Research Institute of Hosei University in Tokyo, Japan holds similar scrolls and other materials on Noh theatre.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Japan
• Nō
• Performing arts
• Theater