Masks in all their numerous variations have remained a part of society throughout the ages. However, some ancient masks are instantly more recognizable to us than others. We do not always know or remember exactly how or why we recognize them, but that feeling of familiarity upon seeing them stillremains a fact. There is a simple explanation, as it turns out.
We remember some ancient masks more readily because we frequently see them in movies, video games, comic books, books, photographs, paintings, sculptures, social media posts,and jewelry. In fact, unless you saw it in a museum, chances are that the last time you saw it was also via one of the same mediums of pop culture. To know exactly what it is that you are looking at the next time you come across one of them, take a quick look through the origins behind these three ancient but still famous masks from Asian history.
Oni Masks
Japan has a culture and heritage that’s deeply rooted in the use of ornamental and ritualistic masks. There are several different versions of Japanese Oni masks, but they all share some universal characteristics. As Onis are mythological demons from Japanese folklore, the masks look exactly howthese beings are supposed to look according to mythology.
So, the next time you see a scary mask that looks like the face of an extremely displeased demon with huge fangs and two horns, you will know that you are looking at a traditional Oni mask. They were worn by Samurais as war masks in the old days to scare and distract their opponents in combat. That makes a lot of sense actually, especially if you look at a Namahage Oni mask.
Warmasks
A war mask could be any mask across the ages and cultures that warriors once wore for their own protection, as well as for inducing fear in the enemy. However, it’s the war mask of the Immortals that remains recognizable as a warrior’s mask byalmost everyone even today.
Immortals were elite warriors of the Persian empire once and their mask was popularized in modern culture via the 300-series of comic books and movies. Popular in men’s handcrafted jewelry as pendants, they also closely resemblethe Menpo warmask worn by Samurais.
Fox Masks
Thanks to far too many reinventions and retellings, the distinct origins of the various fox entities masks are oftenmisrepresented. According to the oldest book of such legends, there were primarily two mythological entities that residedwithin the folklore of ancient Asia.
Kitsune - A nonhumanoid magical fox with special abilities, intelligence, and long life. They are not nine-tailed spirits orevil by nature. Kitsune did not take human form for deceptioneither. Traditional Kitsune masks are Japanese in origin, always painted in white, with red accents.
Huli jing – Huli Jing is both a Chinese word and an evil, mythological entity. The Hui Jing of mythology is an immortal, nine-tailed, humanoid fox of demonic (Yokai) nature, infamous for shapeshifting, seduction, sedition, murder, man-eating, and much worse! Traditional Huli Jing masks are painted black, with red and gold highlights.
When the Huli Jing myth got mixed with the Kitsune’s legend, the Kumiho came into being. Nowadays, Kumiho is considered to be a separate, Korean entity. However, the Kumiho used to have an identical origin and evil characteristics as that of the Huli Jing, but that was changed later for the sake of distinction. Kumiho masks don’t exactly have an ancient origin and often look very similar to a traditional Kitsune mask.
