1.
Noh mask
A carved wooden mask worn by performers in Noh theater. Figuratively, an expressionless face.
能面をつけて舞う。
To dance wearing a Noh mask.
この能面は江戸時代に作られた。
This Noh mask was made in the Edo period.
彼女は能面のような表情で話を聞いていた。
She listened to the story with a face as expressionless as a Noh mask.
A carved wooden mask used in 能 (Noh theater). Different mask types represent fixed roles such as young women, old men, and demons.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 能面をつける: to put on a Noh mask
- 能面のような顔: an expressionless face
CULTURAL NOTE:
A skilled Noh actor can make a single mask seem to change emotion by tilting the head, since its carved expression is deliberately neutral. This is why 能面のよう describes a blank, unreadable face.