The middle section of the exhibition is dedicated to stage costumes and masks purchased by Prince Henry during his journey around the world between 18, which has been kept in the museum’s storage and have never exhibited to the public until now. The bulk of the objects in the Venice exhibition come from Prince Henry of Bourbon-Parma’s considerable collection of Japanese art, which became part of the city-state in 1925. The Museum of Oriental Art in Venice is showing Japanese Tales: Costumes and Stories from Noh Theatre, curated by the museum’s director Marta Boscolo Marchi. This complex and fascinating world of Noh theatre has now come to Italy this spring, in an exhibition that is part of the Venice 1600 programme to celebrate 16 centuries since the mythical founding of the city. It is by his ability to conjure this ethereal quality – tilting his mask to catch a special angle of light, or by holding a pose in which eons of time seem to pass – that the skill of a Noh actor is judged. The word yugen is one of the most often-heard and suggests a beauty that is hinted at – elusive and half-hidden, as if glimpsed in the brief parting of mist – a beauty that by its distance and transience leaves a lingering and aching sense of bittersweet sadness.

The aesthetic terminology of Noh theatre all but escapes a clear interpretation. The mask itself is sufficient allusion of his adopted persona from the other-world – and the words he recites are profound beyond any superficial visual experience. In the Noh theatre performance, it is perfectly normal for a heavy man of mature years with a gruff, deep voice to take the part of a beautiful young princess from the world of spirits. The actor does not attempt to imitate the character of his role, as Noh is on a much deeper level than in kabuki, for example, where the onnagata, (a male actor playing the role of a woman) tries to be as womanly a woman as possible – whether as a maiden, a knowing courtesan, or a virago mother-in-law. However, it is (within certain limits) at the discretion of the main actor to bestow on the character special meaning and demonstrate the interpretation that the actor wishes to give a particular performance. This, in part, is codified by tradition with variations and specific choices made according to the school of shite and waki actors on stage. The choice of costume, mask and accessories, even if already established by the type of drama being performed, also helps establish the character’s type. In the case of the main actor, he wears a mask for non-human representation such as deities, ghosts, or spirits ( kami), as well as for female roles, however, they do not wear masks to represent normal, living, male characters. The performers in Noh theatre are ‘actors’ that contribute to the creation of the show, but while the hayashikata (musicians) and members of the jiuta (chorus), lined up on the stage wear formal ceremonial dress, the tachikata (actors) themselves, including the shite (main character) and waki (supporting characters), wear costumes befitting their characters. This mask is not a face, but embodiment of a spirit that the actor takes time to contemplate and absorb before he puts it on for the play. Noh Theatre Costumes and Masksįor most plays, the main actor usually wears an elaborate costume and a mask – often treasures handed down through generations of the Noh guild or ‘family’ of which the actor is a member – and takes the role of a visitor from the other-world: a vanquished warrior or the ghost of a princess. In Noh theatre, the pervasive influence of Zen is apparent in the editing out of all that is unnecessary, so that a single step can signify a long journey to the mountains of China, or a raised sleeve, deep inconsolable grief. Throughout the play, supporters on the stage emit strange whoops, and sharply tap small drums as if to punctuate the actors’ words and add resonance to their meaning. The Noh performance commences with the sound of flutes, un-melodic and unearthly, the whole purpose of which is to underscore a departure from the day-to-day, and an entry into the world of spirits.

Drama masks