Why is This Face So Creepy? #Shorts

I’m sure you’ve seen this mask often in Japanese horror anime and video games. This is actually a mask called 小面 Ko-omoté, which is originally used in the Japanese ancient stage art: Noh Theater.

With such a scary face, it must represent a horrible monster or something right? But it actually stands for a young and beautiful woman. Yes you heard me correctly. lol

There are three main reasons why this mask looks so scary.

1. They represent gods and spirits
The reason why masks are used in noh theater in the first place, is because “performers want to act as someone/something that they are not.”

2. The aesthetic sense was different from what it is now
Expressionlessness was the standard of beauty for people of high ranks in the past.

3. There are multiple emotions expressed with one face
Every noh mask’s facial expression is created by combining multiple emotions with one face, so it might seem unnatural and somewhat ominous.

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*The content is based on personal studies and experience
There is no intention of denying other theories and cultural aspects

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ぽるぽるMusic

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#noh #nohmask #nohtheatre #nohtheater

[LetsaskShogo]

I’m sure you’ve seen this mask often in Japanese horror anime and video games. This is actually a mask called 小面 Ko-omoté, which is originally used in the Japanese ancient stage art: Noh Theater.

With such a scary face, it must represent a horrible monster or something right? But it actually stands for a young and beautiful woman. Yes you heard me correctly. lol

There are three main reasons why this mask looks so scary.

1. They represent gods and spirits
The reason why masks are used in noh theater in the first place, is because “performers want to act as someone/something that they are not.”

2. The aesthetic sense was different from what it is now
Expressionlessness was the standard of beauty for people of high ranks in the past.

3. There are multiple emotions expressed with one face
Every noh mask’s facial expression is created by combining multiple emotions with one face, so it might seem unnatural and somewhat ominous.

If you’d like to learn more about Japanese traditional culture, Kyoto, and social problems in Japan, please check out my channel & subscribe!

*The content is based on personal studies and experience
There is no intention of denying other theories and cultural aspects

[tegu_enthusiast]

Oh, I didn’t know that. Thanks for educating us, as always!

[smilerat]

I never really found the mask creepy, just a bit uncanny valley, an effect that inherently does creep people out. When people see something so close to human but just a bit off, it triggers a natural instinct to be wary because something is not as it should be.

[SomeGuy-gczs]

This specific Noh mask brings Inuyasha to mind. They had this cursed mask that possessed people and melted their bodies into a homogeneous sludge. That kind of genuine grade-A horror was a real surprise coming from a romantic fantasy isekai series.

[nicogross]

That face looks like my mom whenever get a C+ in math😂

[at_Icy]

"it represents a young and beautiful...
... performers want to act as something they are not" 💀💀💀💀💀

[rubisbleu]

"Why is this mask so creepy?"
Me : the eyebrows, the eyebrows, THE

[zenaidamoreno]

I remember first seeing this mask on Inuyasha. Thanks for the lesson

[Ericvonmanstein.]

Japanese culture never fails to amaze us👌.

[ZoRowArk]

"Young and beautiful woman"
*Anya Forger steps in*

[captsorghum]

"Why is this face so creepy." --On android, the thumbnail has a picture of Shogo

[Gggrizz]

I've actually seen a few nō masks in real life, and they were even creepier. Because the light was coming from the top, so that it cast more shadow

[unclesam]

Something I’ve always been curious about… how did the theatre masks affect the performance of the actors? I feel as though the masks would drastically reduce the ability to project one’s voice… did they have a counter measure to this? Or was the mask designed with this in mind?

[Blondie]

Even though I knew you were going to talk about something else, I saw the title and you in the thumbnail and was thinking you're face is too cute to be creepy.

[boatingbrookcosplay]

Also uncanny valley. It looks human and familiar but it's not quite human looking.

[Rena]

I guess it also falls into the uncanny valley

[GODOFAWSOMENESS]

Aha I was correct about the mask being a young and beautiful woman!

[ろろろろろろろろろ]

**Shows the mask with horns**
**KSLV Noh music starts playing**

[killua_thecatboy]

I have seen this mask a few times but I don't find it scary, it definitely looks beautiful. I must have seen it in Noh theatres and probably in anime too.

[ina.aaahhh]

"Why is this face so creepy"
My dumbass: "it has no eyebrows"