Hannya - wikipedia Hannya For the Rurouni Kenshin character, see List of Rurouni Kenshin characters § Han'nya. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2009 ) 18th century Netsuke mask of Hannya The moth genus Hannya is now considered a junior synonym of Habrosyne. The Hannya ( 般若 ) mask is a mask used in Noh theater, representing a jealous female demon. It possesses two sharp bull - like horns, metallic eyes, and a leering mouth. Contents 1 Origin of the name 2 Characteristics 3 Popular Culture 4 Plays associated with Hannya 5 References 6 External links Origin of the name The name hannya ( 般若 ) is a Sino - Japanese word for prajna or wisdom. One tradition states that this name was given to this mask because it was the name of an artist monk Hannya - bō ( 般若 坊 ) who is said to have perfected its creation. An alternative explanation is that the artist would need a great deal of wisdom in order to create this mask. Characteristics The Hannya mask is used in many noh and kyōgen Japanese plays, as well as in Shinto ritual kagura dances. The Hannya mask portrays the souls of women who have become demons due to obsession or jealousy. Plays in which a person may wear the hannya mask include Aoi no Ue and Dōjōji ; its use in these two plays, two of the most famous of the Noh repertoire, and its distinctive and frightening appearance make it one of the most recognizable Noh masks. The Hannya mask is said to be demonic and dangerous but also sorrowful and tormented, displaying the complexity of human emotions. When the actor looks straight ahead, the mask appears frightening and angry ; when tilted slightly down, the face of the demon appears to be sorrowful, as though crying. The oldest hannya mask is dated 1558. Hannya masks appear in various skin tones : a white mask indicates a woman with a refined character ( such as the aristocratic lady Rokujō in Aoi no Ue ), a red mask depicts a less refined character ( like the spirit of peasant girl seen in Dōjōji ), and the darkest red depicts true demons ( revealed after appearing as women, as in Momijigari and Kurozuka. ) Popular Culture In the mobile game Onmyoji, Hannya is a shikigami who has a hannya mask on his forehead and another huge one on his back. In the Yakuza series, the character Majima Goro has a large tattoo of a Hannya on his back. He also has an alter - ego, Hannya - Man, in Yakuza Kiwami, that wears a Hannya mask. Plays associated with Hannya Aoi no Ue - worn by the Lady Rokujō in her second - half appearance as a demon. Dōjōji - can be worn by the dancing woman in her second - half appearance as a snake, though the Shinja ( 真 蛇 ) mask is also used. Kurozuka ( known in the Kanze school as Adachigahara ) - worn by the spinning woman of Adachigahara after she is revealed to be a demon. Momijigari - can be worn by the noblewoman after she is revealed to be a demon. References Jump up ^ `` hannya ''. Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System JAANUS. Jump up ^ `` Onryô - Hannya ''. the-noh.com. Jump up ^ `` hannya ''. Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System JAANUS. Jump up ^ `` Onryô - Hannya ''. the-noh.com. Jump up ^ Sadler, A.W. `` ' O - Kagura '. Field Notes on the Festival Drama in Modern Tokyo ''. Asian Folklore Studies. Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture. 29 : 294. JSTOR 1177614. Jump up ^ Coldiron, Margaret ( 2005 ). `` Lions, Witches, and Happy Old Men : Some Parallels between Balinese and Japanese Ritual Masks ''. Asian Theatre Journal. 22 ( 2 ). JSTOR 4137132. Jump up ^ Bethe, Monica ; Emmert, Richard ( 1997 ). Aoi no Ue, Noh Performance Guide 7. Tokyo : National Noh Theatre. External links Netsuke : masterpieces from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art ( fully available online as PDF ), which contains many examples of Hannya Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hannya&oldid=849622428 '' Categories : Female legendary creatures Japanese legendary creatures Masks in Asia Noh Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from March 2009 All articles needing additional references All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from March 2011 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français 한국어 Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Português Русский ไทย Tiếng Việt 中文 4 more Edit links This page was last edited on 10 July 2018, at 07 : 34 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the meaning of a hannya mask
Answer: a jealous female demon