Heagear worn in noh and kyōgen includes metal and black lacquered crowns (kanmuri 冠）and hats (ebōshi 烏帽子) worn by emperors, courtiers, male and female deities, goblins and animals, as well as cloths draped over the head and tied with sashes, typically worn by Buddhist priests, nuns, and some warrior-priests.
Crowns 冠類
- Tō kanmuri 唐冠 Black lacquered crown. Large ones are worn by fierce gods (aragami 荒神 or kijin 鬼神) on top of a headpiece . Small ones are worn by Chinese emperors without mask. The entire crown is covered with un-patterned gauze (ra) that has been coated with black lacquer.
- Suki kanmuri 透冠 Black lacquered crown with patterned gauze ‘wings’ worn in first-category plays by deities who dance the kami-mai. The form is the same as the standard tō-kanmuri, but instead of plain black gauze for “wings” it has gauze patterned with a flower scroll that appears like filigree (suki).
- Ui kanmuri 初冠 Black lacquered courtier’s crown worn by emperors, courtiers, and aged deities. A long “tail” (ei 纓) is inserted at the back. This can either hang (tarashi-ei 垂纓) or be curled up (maki-ei 巻纓), when extra fanned out bristles (oikake 老懸) are set at the side of the face and attached with separate cords.
- Tengan 天冠 Round metal crown with filigree design of flower scrolls or cloud patterns. Emblems in the shape of moon, lotus, peony, or phoenix, rise from the center and ornaments dangle at the sides. Tengan are worn by court ladies, celestial maidens, and female deities.
- Wa-kanmuri 輪冠 Round metal crown with filigree design and a central emblematic figure, such as a heron (Sagi) or fox (kitsune-tai 狐戴 in Sesshōseki) or dragon (ryū-tai 竜戴, in plays such as Ama, Kasuga Ryūjin, etc.) or candles (as in Kanawa).
Hats and caps 烏帽子類
- Okina ebōshi 翁烏帽子 Black lacquer tate-ebōshi (‘standing hat’), folded over and held down with white cords placed over the top and tied under the chin. Worn by Okina 翁, shrine priestesses 巫女, and god-kings 神王.
- Kensaki ebōshi 剣先烏帽子 Black lacquer tate-ebōshi with a pointed top, worn by Sanbasō.
- Kazaori ebōshi 風折烏帽子 Black or gold lacquer tate-ebōshi, folded over and held in place with a black cord over the top that is tied under the chin.
- Daijin ebōshi 大臣烏帽子 Basically the same form as a kazaori-ebōshi, except that the cords are decorative flat braids. Worn by waki ministers mostly in first-category plays.
- Ori ebōshi 折烏帽子 also known as ‘samurai ebōshi’ 侍烏帽子. The front has been folded to form a triangle and the back to extend like a bird’s tail. Worn by warrior characters.
- Mae ori ebōshi 前折烏帽子 A tall black lacquer hat that is bent in the front area and is worn by female entertainers. Ones with bold ground are called ‘Shizuka-eboshi’ and worn by the character of Shizuka Gozen.
- Nashiuchi-ebōshi 梨子打烏帽子 (fig. 6) A tall bumpy surfaced black lacquered hat with a flat front that has been folded either to the right or the left and is worn by warrior-courtiers in second-category plays.
- Ushiro ori ebōshi 後折烏帽子 A tall black lacquer hat that is bent in the back area and is worn by male entertainers.
- Tokin 兜布 A small cylindrical black hat held in place with white cords and worn by Yamabushi priests.
- Ō tokin 大兜布 A larger version of the cylindrical hat that is covered with gold brocaded material and worn by tengu.
Cloth Hoods 頭巾類
- Sun bōshi 角帽子 A long rectangular damask satin cloth with end end folded into a triangle. It is a standard headgear for priests. The cloth is placed on the head with the triangle to the front and held in place with flat braid cords that are tied at the back. The long remaining cloth hangs down over the back.
- Bishamon bōshi 毘沙門帽子 A luxurious variant of the sumi-bōshi worn by high priests. Instead of allowing the cloth to fall over the back, it is folded up and tied in around the triangular section.
- Tō bōshi 唐帽子 A rectangular cloth draped to form a rounded head cover with side folds and held in place with a cord. Worn by Chinese characters, primarily old men.
- Hana no bōshi 花帽子 A wide silk plain-color cloth that is draped over the head to cover half the face and fall over the shoulders to chest level worn by nuns and high-ranking priests. A variety of colors are used.
- Kesa zukin 袈裟頭巾 Similar to the hana no bōshi, but made of white kesa material and worn by Benkei in Hashi Benkei.
- Shōzon zukin 正尊頭巾 Basically similar to the kesa zukin and worn by Shōzon in the play of the same name.
- Chōhan zukin 長範頭巾 A basic zukin hood with extra material added as flaps at the side in imitation of a helmet and worn by Kumasaka Chōhan in Kumasaka.
- Yorimasa zukin 頼政頭巾 Constructed like the Chōhan-zukin and representing a helmet, it is made of less flashy material, without red, and worn by Yorimasa in the second act of Yorimasa.
- Dai e zukin 大会頭巾 Basically the same construction as the Bishamon-bōshi, it is worn by the Tengu in the second act of Dai-e. Made of flashy gold brocaded material (kinran), it is draped over the red headpiece (aka-gashira) and tokin.
- Tori kabuto 鳥兜 A bird-like hat made of layers of shaped fabrics. This is a nō version of a hat worn for bugaku dances as a part of the tsune shōzoku. In noh it is worn by dancing deities 楽神 and other roles performing gaku (reijin 伶人), such as the shite in the second half of Fuji-daiko.
- Fukumen 覆面 A red cloth worn over the lower half of the face as a disguise in Mochizuki.
Contributor: Monica Bethe