God's Mask - Shinmen

Japanese: 神面 - しんめん

Old Noh masks such as Okina masks and various demon masks are often regarded as sacred objects at shrines or donated for prayers, and these are sometimes collectively called divine masks. However, in the narrow sense, they are better understood as demon-shaped masks made for dedication, rather than originally used in the performing arts. Many of them are pairs of Aun and Un, and come in a variety of sizes. As they were not intended for use, many of them do not have the back side covered or the eyes gouged out. Remains date from the Northern and Southern Courts onwards. [Tanabe Saburosuke]

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

翁面をはじめとする古能面や各種の鬼面が，よく神社の神体とされたり，祈願のために奉納されたりしているが，これらを総称して神面ということがある。しかし狭義には，本来芸能に使用されたものでなく，奉納のために作られた鬼形の仮面と解したほうがよいであろう。阿吽（あうん）一対のものが多く，大小さまざまで，使用する目的でないから，裏をくらなかったり，目を抜かないものが多い。遺品は南北朝以後のものをみる。【田辺三郎助】

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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