“It is used in Noh or Kyōgen plays as well as during kagura performance of Shinto ritual dance.” He held it up to the light. “The Hannya mask portrays the souls of women who have become demons through obsessions or jealousy, something like the Buddhist portrayal of the hungry ghost. The wearer is said to be not only demonic but sad and tormented.” He moved the thing at different angles. “You see, the emotions of the wearer can be manipulated by the degree and angle of stage light upon the mask.”
