Japanese demon masks: meaning, features, types and interesting facts

Japan is a country literally permeated with mysticism and filled with sacred knowledge. Each Japanese piously honors the traditions of his ancestors and tries to appease the spirits of the lower and upper world for a holiday. To this end, since the earliest times, Japanese masks of demons, made of wood and painted in bright colors, have been used in various rituals. These subjects are of great importance not only in religious rituals, but also in the culture and art of the country. This will be discussed in the article.

Japan: the history of masks

The mythology of the Japanese is very rich in characters, which sometimes have absolutely opposite character traits. The fact is that in Japan it has always been accepted to get along with a mass of demons and unclean spirits. Wise islanders have never fought against evil spirits; on the contrary, they coaxed it and, if necessary, they could always enlist the support of spirits.

Masks always had a sacred significance for the Japanese, they were often used by samurais in battles. It was believed that the mask not only covers the face, but also, containing various spirits, helps the warrior to defeat by inflicting terror in the hearts of enemies.

It's hard to imagine a theater But without different masks. The tradition of playing theatrical performances arose around the seventh century. At this time colorful theatrical shows were held near the temples, and masks were made of clay and paper. They were extremely simple and served to conceal the actor's masks. Only in the seventeenth century the theater But formed into something special, and the masks turned into real art. They began to express various characteristic emotions and served now in order to brighter characterize the characters of the performance. The masks were endowed with a mystical power, and they were only allowed to touch them at the place where the laces were attached. Now in every theater there is a kind of altar, on which ancient masks are collected. It is believed that the souls of actors live in them.

Japanese demon masks : the meaning

Colorful masks are used in rituals, theatrical performances and on holidays. Most of them have an awesome appearance and are designed to scare off other evil spirits. To this end, they are placed on the facades of houses and rooms. Keep in mind that the Japanese demon masks, despite their horrendous appearance, are very kind to people. The spirits living in them are able to help the needy and protect the destitute. It can be said that demons are not to be afraid of good people, but greedy, selfish and hypocritical people will definitely receive punishment from higher spirits. It is worth noting that the variety, which distinguish Japanese demon masks, allows using them in different situations. Let's look at the most popular ones.

Japanese Demon Mask: Tengu

In Japanese mythology, the tengu are the spirits of the forest, sometimes they are compared in character with the Russian woods. Tengu are not solitary, like cleanliness and have cunning. These spirits can not bear arrogance and can punish someone who is arrogant. One of the demon's supernatural powers is the ability to transform into a human being. Most often it takes the form of a monk living high in the mountains. He helps good people and lives in the branches of twisted trees.

The mask of the tengu looks like the face of a red-faced old man with a long nose and a fan of feathers. On the demon's head a small funny hat is often placed - a Tokin. Very often the mask of the forest spirit is used as a guard against evil, but it is never worth damaging the forest, otherwise the tengu will wrap its anger at the owners of the house.

Demons They

Japanese demon masks often depict They. This evil spirits is very popular in the country and has several varieties. Usually They are portrayed in masks in the form of a terrible, distorted anger grimaces, with huge fangs. Demons can have a red, black or gold color. In mythology They symbolize formidable spirits of tremendous growth that appear everywhere with truncheons of iron with thorns. Demons can grow a severed part of the body and cure any wound. Quite often, these spirits are associated with trolls or devils living in Japanese hell.

Initially, they were incorporeal and brought with them catastrophes, illnesses and troubles. Over time, the spirits found a humanlike appearance, but remained extremely ferocious and often spoiled themselves with a human being.

They are banished to hell

Japanese demon masks They are especially used in the feast of the exorcism of demons. It is held on the third of February and is widely celebrated in the country. In order to protect their home, the Japanese spread soybeans everywhere, which they simply can not stand. In recent years it has become common to spread also peanuts, sometimes it is wrapped in gold foil.

On streets of cities on a holiday there is always a theatrical procession. Men dress up in costumes They always put on awesome masks. It is considered very right to decorate the house with a mask of a demon: thanks to such a guardian, evil will not penetrate the house, and all household members can not be afraid of being in a dream in hell.

Tattoos with masks

In Japanese culture from the earliest times it was customary to do tattoos. The inhabitants of the islands differed from Europeans, surprised by the variety of drawings on the body, which merchants and travelers who visited the Land of the Rising Sun told about.

Tattoos have been used to some extent by the Japanese always. Initially, they were applied to the body in order to attract good luck on fishing or hunting. By the 700th year of our era, the painting began to be divided into drawings for the nobility and those labeled by criminals. This significantly reduced the popularity of tattoos, but then it was again used by virtually all segments of society. Quite often the tattoo was applied by representatives of various professions, making the drawing a distinctive sign of the whole group.

Recently, among young people, the Japanese demon mask (tattoo) has become very popular . For the drawing, absolutely different mystical creatures are chosen , but for women Chania is preferable. This mask symbolizes a female demon whose face is distorted by jealousy and passion. According to legend, Chania was once a beautiful girl, in love with a young monk. Beloved rejected her, and the girl in a fit of mad passion turned into an evil demon, avenging all men, offending the fair sex.

Also popular with women is a tattoo with a kitsune mask. This demon is portrayed as a fox and is disastrous for men. Kitsune can turn into a most beautiful woman and bewitch a man, and he will do whatever she tells him. Quite often it ends in insanity. But the sly fox itself is unlikely to be grateful to anyone, she always gets what she wants and then disappears.

Is it possible to make a Japanese mask at home?

Many fans of the culture of the Land of the Rising Sun are interested in how to make the Japanese demon mask themselves. You can even find special master classes with a detailed description of the process of creating masks from papier-mache, but we would not advise you to be content with such handicraft methods. Real Japanese demon masks are real art objects, craftsmen spend several months preparing one product. Until now, almost all ritual and theatrical subjects in the Land of the Rising Sun are made by hand, so it's best to order a mask in Japan. Only in this way can you get a really nice collectible copy.

The world of spirits in Japan is very close to everyday life, because in each house there is at least a couple of masks, protecting the house and its inhabitants.