ANTIQUE IVORY HANNYA MASKS
Antique ivory Hannya masks are not something that you can see everyday. In Japan they are much more common and easier to find. One must be looking for items that are of theatre or drama. Antique ivory Hannya masks are something of great value to treasure and pass on to the family for years to come. The masks are very old and sometimes a little scary to all that behold them. Halloween masks of today are no match for the antique ivory Hannya masks of years ago.
Let’s start out with a little history about the antique ivory Hannya masks. The Hannya masks can be made up in many different mediums. Some were crafted in wood, stone or clay. You may even find some made of medal. The masks made of ivory are the cream of the crop. The antique ivory Hannya masks were made from the tusks of large mammals that could produce enough ivory for such a wondrous mask. Ivory was a material that came primarily from Elephants. The Walrus and Hippopotamus also grew some very nice ivory tusks. When ancient man discovered that ivory was a material that withstood the sands of time and that could be carved and made into many different items like weapons or tools that a person could make useful for their every day living. As time went on man came to treasure ivory for his show of wealth. The ivory was a very expensive item to obtain. Once the ivory was acquired it was sent to a skilled craftsman to be sculptured into a demonic looking creature. Antique ivory Hannya masks could look very differently but they all had the same characteristic. All the Hannya masks had two daunting eyes that would make the strongest of men tremble with fear. The masks also had two raised and evil looking horns upon the tops of the mask. Each of the antique ivory Hannya masks included an open mouth with four deadly looking fangs that would make any one step back and run with fear.
The Noh theatre is the place that you would wear such a magnificent and furious mask. If we go to ancient Japan in the Meiji era, the actors, who were all male would put on the day long plays for the wealthy elite. The antique ivory Hannya masks were worn to display a female who was in agony or pain or a woman that was having a fit of rage with emotions so great that she would turn into a horrible monster with demon like qualities. Hannya means a look that all men know from a woman. One of the plays that the antique ivory Hannya masks was worn for was a story of a young maiden that was deeply in love with a handsome religious priest. After a very fierce and painful rejection from the young priest, the young maiden was so hurt, and upset that she was turned in to a demon that had only revenge and hatred on her mind. The demon found her young lover hiding under a large bell that was nearby. The demon wrapped her serpent like body around the bell and burnt the young priest to death with all of her anger from within. It is a story that has survived the passage of time.
Today, the antique ivory Hannya masks are for display or keeping as a prize of times gone by. The stories of ancient Japan can be passed down from one generation to the next. If I owned antique ivory Hannya masks they would be proudly displayed on my walls and I would tell the tales of a woman so grief stricken that she turned into a demonic creature to pray on the man she loved. The story would only be told with the lights ON.
