Name: Kitsune Masks - [Festival Masks]
SKU: kitsune-masks-noh-masks
Availability: InStock

Description

Kitsune Masks – [Festival masks]

• About these masks: Kitsune masks are often worn for fun at festivals, they’re a popular sight at Shinto celebrations and at weddings. – [a classic folktale says that Kitsune will often get married under sun showers!]

• Ko-Kitsune style: (New styled masks) A young kitsune [aka: nogitsune] mask will often have their eyes appearing shut,in contrast; the older omniscient thousand year old Kitsune [tenko] often has filled in, golden eyes, wide open. – In recent times: Kitsune masks are seen decorated with red and blue markings, [Often causing some confusion with kabuki theatre. – Where-in red and blue typically symbolize who’s the ‘good guys’ and who’s the ‘bad guys’!] Both Folklorists & artisans have said that the markings on modern Kitsune masks don’t really denote anything and are a superficial modern addition!! – [Though, the red colour does go nicely in hand with inari symbolism!] – But !These sort of markings did not appear (at least not as exaggerated) on older styled Noh kitsune masks. – [Today this mask is becoming more popular in designs, with some artisans makeing use of these markings to imply the foxes age, rank or elemental affinity & most mask makers will gladly add them on request!]

•Tenko style: (The ‘classic style’ kitsune masks) – (also known as “Ryu” kitsune (“dragon, snapping”) these kitsune masks are often much more “beast like” in appearance, with a more pronounced snout, snapping teeth (similar to a dragon or lion parade mask) & hair extensions, usually paired with an elaborate costume. – These masks generally use red and other painted colour on white sparingly, rather than as an exaggerated or aesthetic pattern on the face, they are used as a way to highlight the mask’s stern expression & details. [these older style masks also appear much more frequently at religious Shinto events & in noh theatre.]

• One noh play where in Kitsune & inari take part in is “Sanjo Kokaji“ – a story about a renowned sword smith who was tasked with forging a katana for the emperor: Finding the task quite difficult to do alone, he goes to pray at an inari shrine, where he meets a boy who promises to become his smithing partner, but the boy vanishes before they can begin. – kokaji goes home and prepares, praying over his equipment before getting to work. once he finished: mysteriously; the sword was branded “kogitsune-maru” and is engraved with two names, “kokaji munechika” on the face and “kogitsune (little fox)” on the back! the boy was a fox in disguise, possessed kojaki, and helped him forge the blade!

[Available here today are White kitsune, Black kitsune & Tenko (golden eyed) -my Kitsune Ryu design is coming soon, for other designs visit my noh collection]

[Art stickers by @samkalensky (Yo, thats me!) part of my Noh mask collection of stickers! follow & support for many more]