Japanese Chin Gallery

Noh Mask, Japan

Carved wooden Noh mask painted with a white face, red lips, black hair, teeth, moustache and small beard. Noh is a Japanese theatrical art form, where some of the actors wear masks that represent certain characters; either humans, demons, ghosts or spirits. Noh mask makers are highly skilled. Each mask is carved from a single piece of wood with an intentionally neutral expression. It is up to the performer to imbue the mask with emotion. One of the techniques used is to slightly tilt the mask up or down. Tilting upwards creates the appearance of smiling or laughing. Tilting downwards produces a slight frown and can express sadness or crying. This allows the performer is able to express a wide range of emotions. This Noh mask is small, but the mask is not made to cover the entire face. In fact, it is thought best if some part of the chin and/or jowls of the actor are on show

© RIC, photographer Mike Searle

FALL/JAPANESE CHIN/1958

A group of three Japanese Chins from the RIU-GU kennel, from left to right; ANARA, QUITO AND EKITA. Owned by Crawford. Date: 1958

© Bubblepunk/THOMAS FALL

Mother and Child by Gourd Trellis in Moonlight (colour woodblock print)

5043702 Mother and Child by Gourd Trellis in Moonlight (colour woodblock print) by Hokusai, Katsushika (1760-1849); Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, UK; (add.info.: Surimono, a woman frilling cloth, she has stopped work and leans both elbows on the roller, her chin in her hands, boy with birdcage stands before her, huge maize-cobs on right, (It looks more like a sponge cucumber/dishcloth gourd (Hechima), which was used to called Ito-Uri in Edo era. People used to make filature from a Ito-Uri.) outlines of foliage topped by full-moon in gauffrage above, inscription. Signed by Souri-ga. The poem starts from Nuno-no-Kai-Kinuta, (Nuno means a fabric, Kinuta means an old wood tool like an iron, which is shown in front of the boy?s left foot), and finishes with Kawa-no-Tsuki, (Kawa means a River, Tsuki means a moon), and the word beside the poem shows Eight-bridge?. Attributed to: Hishikawa S?ri.); Japanese, out of copyright

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