Netsuke in Shape of a Noh Performer with a Hannya Mask 般若牙彫根付

Japanese follows English. 英語の後に日本語が続きます。

"How many will I kill tonight? Three or four?" He looks like saying this, doesn't he? This 3 cm tall sculpture is "netsuke in the shape of a noh performer with a hannya mask" on show at Tokyo National Museum. It's carved from ivory.

The hannya mask, which is used in noh plays, as well as Shinto dances, portrays the souls of women who have become demons due to obsession or jealousy. One of the most famous noh plays using the mask is "Aoi no Ue (Lady Aoi)," in which Lady Aoi or the wife of Genji (i.e., the protagonist of The Tale of Genji), is killed by the wandering spirit of his jealous mistress Lady Rokujo. The noh actor playing the mistress wears the hannya mask to show her strong jealousy. So, the figure in these photos isn't a man but may be the mistress going to kill her lover's wife😱

Interestingly, however, "hannya" or "prajñā" in Sanskrit, which is a Buddhist term, means just wisdom and has nothing to do with jealousy. I googled why the noh mask has the Buddhist term meaning wisdom as its name, but couldn't find a reasonable explanation. 

If you love netsuke, read this post to see dozens of netsuke!!  

Netsuke in shape of a noh performer with a hannya mask 般若牙彫根付

She's so jealous of something....😱

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東京国立博物館に展示されていた「般若牙彫根付」です。古林斎舟楽作です。「これから何人殺ってやろう｡｡｡😱」という顔してませんか。

「般若」というと怖いイメージですが、もともとはサンスクリット語の仏教用語で「全ての事物や道理を明らかに見抜く深い智慧」を意味するそうです。この表情（嫉妬）とは何の関連もないんですね。紛らわしいです｡｡｡

根付にご興味ある方はこちらのリストもどうぞ。いろんな根付を掲載しています！

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