The word Kyogen means a play that is a farce, or a joke. In the 15th century, the Noh play Nohgaku was called Sarugaku or the Monkey play. Kyogen was originally a humorous performance of mimicking art, but in the Edo dynasty (1603 - 1867), the Tokugawa shogun specified this as Shikiraku, which means the ceremony was for the use of the samurai. Then it became more refined and a dignified form of art. These masks are realistic representations of the fox and the monkey. In addition there is the mosquito, which cannot be embodied, so the Kyogen use Usubuki mask as the spirit of the mosquito. |
Inoue Corporation
1530 Kamiaraga, Fukuchiyama, Kyoto, Japan
620-0065
Tel:81-773-23-5211 Fax:81-773-23-5190
1996- All rights © reserved
Link is welcome!