Gunmetal Demon Mask

鉄の鬼 (tetsu no oni): "the iron demon."

In the Noh play Rashōmon, the warrior Watanabe no Tsuna goes out at night to the great south gate of Heian Kyoto and cuts off an oni's arm with his sword. The kabuki play Ibaraki picks up from there: Tsuna locks the arm away and keeps to his house for seven days, until his old aunt comes to call and asks to see it. The moment she holds it, she turns into the oni Ibaraki-dōji and escapes with her arm.

Gunmetal silver over black, worn so the high points shine and the recesses stay dark. Flame and cloud scrolls run across the face, fins flare from the cheeks, and two tusks frame rows of fangs under small horn points.

Red and blue are the classic oni colors, so a metallic-look finish stands apart on a wall or a desk, and for cosplay it reads armored and cold. Set it among the red and black oni and the gunmetal looks even sharper.

• Type: decorative demon mask, full face, with eye holes
• Material: resin
• Colors: gunmetal silver and black
• Details: flame and cloud scrolls, cheek fins, two tusks, rows of fangs
• Look: worn, with bright high points and dark recesses
• Use: display, cosplay, costume and photos