The History and Meaning of the Japanese Hannya Mask

At Wabisabi Mart, our love and commitment to bringing you the best in traditional Japanese art are at the heart of our business.

I first fell in love with Japanese culture during the 1980s while watching black-and-white samurai and Godzilla movies.

Over the past 25 years, I have been collecting Japanese art, including noh, bugaku, and kagura masks. Now, I live my passion, traveling Japan seeking out and sharing all kinds of masks, from Hannyas to Tengus and Kitsunes to Kappas.

We travel all over Japan to hand-pick the best masks, woodblock prints, art books, and more. The Hannya mask is our best-selling item and holds a special place for me among the masks we find because it was my first tattoo.

Let's look at the Hannya mask and why it holds so much significance in Japanese culture. 

What is the Story of the Hannya Mask?

The story of the Hannya is what makes the mask so popular. It tells the story of a woman borderline insane by the love she has for another.

Is Hannya Male or Female?

First, let's address one of the most common questions about the hannya: Is it a man or a woman? Many people unfamiliar with Hannya's story think it is a man, but the Hannya is a woman. What makes the origin story even more profound is that she was once a young, beautiful woman who fell in love.

What Does the Hannya Mask

Represent?

The Hannya mask is more than just a theater prop in Japanese culture. It's a symbol of human feelings and change. The mask represents women who transform into demons because of intense jealousy, resentment, and obsession with their lovers.

The Hannya also has connections to Buddhist concepts representing the suffering from attachment. It's a powerful reminder of the consequences of allowing our emotions dominate our spirt.

Japanese Noh Theater

Noh theater is a traditional form of Japanese performance that dates back over 600 years. It combines music, dance, and acting to tell traditional stories, often involving supernatural themes, historical events, and tales of love and revenge. Think of it as a Japanese opera.

Actors wear costumes and masks, and musicians perform the play's soundtrack. The plays are known for the actors' slow and careful movements and the masks, which show emotions and tell stories.

Where does the word Hannya come from?

There are several stories about where the word 'Hannya' comes from. One story says that the name comes from the Sanskrit word 'prajna,' which means wisdom.

Another story is that the mask gets its name from a carver named 'Hannyabo,' who lived in the Bunmei Era (1469-1487). However, Noh scholar Toyoichiro Nogami questions the Hannyabo story. He says there is evidence of Hannya-like masks made by carvers who lived in earlier eras.

Nogami believes that what we now call the Hannya mask was initially known as a 'demon woman mask' or 'female ghost mask.' Later, when Noh masks became more stylized, these masks were given the name Hannya.

The Hannya Mask in Japanese Noh Theater

Several famous Noh plays use the Hannya mask to show a woman haunted by love and strong emotions:

• Aoi no Ue : In this play, the Hannya shows the spirit of Lady Rokujō, an aristocratic woman taken over by jealousy over her lover's new wife. The mask's white color shows her noble status, while its horrifying features show her anger.

• Dōjōji : This play tells the story of a peasant girl named Kiyo-hime, who is shunned by a monk and turns into a serpent demon to seek revenge. The red mask in this play means her lower social status and the burning jealousy that changes her.

• Momijigari : In this play, the dark red mask shows a woman who has fully become a demon. The mask's color and wild features highlight her complete fall into madness and demonic hate.

What do the colors of a Hannya Mask mean?

The skin of the Hannya mask is traditionally painted in one of three colors. This is very important because it shows the character and social status of the woman in the Noh play before she became a jealous female demon.

White (pale-flesh) Hannya Mask: This mask represents a woman of noble background and good character. It is used to show aristocratic women who have turned into vengeful spirits. An example is Lady Rokujō from the play Aoi no Ue.

Red (flesh) Hannya Mask: This mask represents a commoner who has worked outside. The red color shows skin exposed to the sun, which suggests a poor background in Japanese culture. An example is the peasant girl in Dōjōji.

Deep (dark flesh) Red Hannya Mask: This mask represents a woman who has completely transformed into a demon. It is used to show women who have intense demonic rage and sorrow in plays like Momijigari and Kurozuka

In Noh's plays, different masks show the stage of a woman's transformation into devil-like beings, where the complexity and power of human emotions finally consume them.

Stage 1: Deigan represents a woman whose feelings have just risen, and torment has set in.  She is beginning her journey to become a demon, and the mask's white eyes and gold-tipped teeth show that the change has begun.

Stage 2: Hashihime has red around the eyes, messy hair, and golden eyes. This mask represents a woman out for revenge.

Stage 3: Namanari shows the first real signs of a demon, with short horns starting to stick out from the forehead. It shows a woman who has the last remaining feelings for her lover.

Stage 4: Hannya mask represents a woman transformed by jealous rage. 

Stage 5: Shinja masks show female spirits that look more evil and angry than the Hannya. Their tongues are visible, and they have metallic eyes. They may also have no ears, making them more snake-like.

The Hannya in Modern Day

The mask of a jealous female demon has appeared in many forms of modern media, including movies, video games, and anime.

Fashion and jewelry designers have embraced Hannya's iconic image. But two of our favorite traditions are in the demon's place in ceremony and body art.

Japanese Hannya & Japanese Weddings

The Hannya mask is more than just a drama prop. It shows the harmful power of obsession, suffering, and sorrow. 

The story of the Hannya has even influenced Shinto weddings. 

Traditional Japanese wedding dresses have a dome-like headdress called a tsunokakushi, or a "horn-hider," that is said to conceal the bride's horns of jealousy.