Mask (omen - お面)
For ceturies, masks have been used in Japan for rituals and performances (dance, theatre, festivals and Shinto or Buddhist rituals).
The majority of japanese masks are carved from wood and painted with a layer of lacquer. They are often covered with a kaolin clay coat with polychromatic pigments.
Noh actors use nearly 80 different masks representing different characters (person, hero, devil, ghost or legendary animal).
Traditional masks sold in a shop of Asakusa (Tokyo)
A choice of children masks mainly of manga characters displayed by a street seller
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