Japan is a country literally riddled with mysticism and filled with sacred knowledge. Each Japanese sacredly honors the traditions of his ancestors and on holiday tries to appease the spirits of the lower and upper worlds. For this purpose, since ancient times, various demon masks made of wood and painted in bright colors have been used in various rituals. These objects are of great importance not only in religious rites, 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 who sometimes have completely opposite character traits. The fact is that in Japan it was always customary to get along with a mass of demons and unclean spirits. The wise inhabitants of the islands never fought against evil spirits; on the contrary, they cajoled it and, if necessary, could always enlist the support of spirits.
Masks have always been sacred to the Japanese; they were often used by samurai in battle. It was believed that the mask not only covers the face, but also, containing various spirits, helps the warrior to defeat, inspiring terror in the hearts of enemies.
It is hard to imagine a theater But without various masks. The tradition of playing theatrical performances arose around the seventh century. At this time, colorful theater shows were held near the temples, and masks were made of clay and paper. They were extremely simple and served to hide the mask of the actor. Only in the seventeenth century, But Theater took shape in something special, and masks turned into real art. They began to express various characteristic emotions and served now in order to more clearly characterize the characters in the performance. Masks were endowed with mystical power, and they were allowed to touch only at the place of attachment of the laces. 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: meaning
Colorful masks are used in rituals, theatrical performances and on holidays. Most of them have a frightening appearance and are designed to scare away other evil spirits. To this end, they are placed on the facades of houses and in rooms. Keep in mind that Japanese demon masks, despite their terrifying appearance, are very kind to people. The spirits living in them are able to help the needy and protect the disadvantaged. We can say that good people should not be afraid of demons, but greedy, selfish and hypocritical people will definitely receive punishment from higher spirits. It is worth noting that the variety that Japanese demon masks differ in allows them to be used in different situations. Let's look at the most popular of them.
Japanese demon mask: tengu
In Japanese mythology, tengu are the spirits of the forest, sometimes they are compared in characterization with Russian goblin. Tengu are unsociable, they love cleanliness and possess cunning. These spirits cannot stand arrogance and can punish someone who is arrogant. One of the supernatural abilities of a demon is the ability to transform into a person. Most often, he takes the form of a monk living high in the mountains. He helps good people and lives in the branches of twisted trees.
The tengu mask looks like the face of a red-faced old man with a long nose and a fan of feathers. On the demon's head is often placed a small funny hat - tokin. Very often the mask of the forest spirit is used as a charm against evil, but you should never harm the forest, otherwise the tengu will turn its anger on the owners of the house.
Demons they
Japanese demon masks often depict They. This evil is very popular in the country and has several varieties. They are usually depicted on masks in the form of a terrible grimace, distorted by anger, with huge fangs. Demons can have a red, black or gold color. In mythology, they symbolize formidable spirits of enormous growth, which appear everywhere with iron batons with spikes. Demons can grow a torn off part of the body and heal any wound. Quite often, these spirits are associated with trolls or devils living in Japanese hell.
Initially, they were ethereal and brought with them disasters, illnesses and troubles. Over time, the spirits acquired a humanoid appearance, but remained extremely ferocious and often indulged in humanity.
Exile They Are Hell
Japanese demon masks. They are especially often used on the feast of the exorcism. It is held on February 3rd and is widely celebrated in the country. In order to protect their home, the Japanese scatter soybeans everywhere, which They simply cannot stand. In recent years, it has become common to scatter peanuts, sometimes it is wrapped in gold foil.
On the streets of cities, a theatrical procession always takes place on holiday. Men dress up in costumes. They always wear frightening masks. It is considered very correct to decorate the house with a demon mask: thanks to such a talisman, evil does not penetrate into the house, and all the households may not be afraid to end up in hell in a dream.
Mask Tattoos
In Japanese culture, from the earliest times, it was customary to make tattoos. The inhabitants of the islands differed in this from the Europeans, who were surprised at the variety of drawings on the body, which were described by merchants and travelers who visited the Land of the Rising Sun.
Tattoos have been used to one degree or another by the Japanese always. Initially, they were applied to the body in order to attract good luck while fishing or hunting. By the seven hundred years of our era, body painting began to be divided into drawings for the nobility and those that marked criminals. This significantly reduced the popularity of tattoos, but then it began to be used again by almost all walks of life. Quite often, tattoos were applied by representatives of various professions, making the figure a distinctive sign of the whole group.
Recently, a demon mask (tattoo) has become very popular among young people. For the drawing, completely different mystical creatures are chosen, but for women, Chania is most 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. The beloved rejected her, and the girl, in a fit of crazy passion, turned into an evil demon, taking revenge on all men who offend the fair sex.
Also popular with women is a tattoo with a kitsune mask. This demon is depicted as a fox and is fatal to men. Kitsune can turn into a beautiful woman and cast a spell on a man, and he will do everything she tells him. Quite often this ends in insanity. But the sly fox herself is hardly grateful to anyone, she always gets what she wants and then disappears.
