Mask for the Noh Play Okina

Shibata Zeshin

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Noh play Okina is a sacred rite in which actors perform as divine characters who dance for peace, prosperity, and safety across the land.While the character Senzai dances, the shite (lead actor) puts on the mask of Okina to transform into a deity. The mask shown here peers out from a brocaded silk mask bag embellished with the auspicious motifs of tortoiseshell patterns and crane roundels.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.

Metropolitan Museum of Art