2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss Masks by Fumiko Enchi.

Pages: 141 pages

Length: 1 Month (November)

Participants: oshizu, Margie, Sai Aishwarya.

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.


Happy Buddy Reading!

Hello Margie and Sai!

Just a quick note to say that this will be the first book I read in November. :)

oshizu wrote: "Hello Margie and Sai!

Just a quick note to say that this will be the first book I read in November. :)"

It's at the top my my list also.

The book is divided into three sections, each named after a mask worn (by the male performers) to represent women of different "archetypes." I've included links to photographs of the masks with an explanation of what they represent, compiled by an academic expert on noh drama at UC Irvine.
Part 1: Ryo no onna: https://faculty.humanities.uci.edu/sb...

Masugami: mad (insane) noblewoman
https://faculty.humanities.uci.edu/sb...

Fukai: grieving older woman
http://faculty.humanities.uci.edu/sbk...

If you enjoy visuals, here's a very short Youtube video documentary on noh theater. Image resolution isn't the greatest but its explanation covers a lot in just 9 minutes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Oi3...

I later apprenticed to a noh master with whom I studied for a year (dance/song), but my first experience was not a great one.
Sitting in the front row in front of the stage, I discovered to my dismay that I'd fallen asleep with my mouth open. I can laugh about it now.
P.S. The masters are always elder men; don't let the double chins peeking out from under the female mask distract you. :)

@oshizu - thank you so much for sharing this information. That video is a perfect introduction. I watched a couple more in the mix. It's amazing that something so old still continues.

I'm laughing about your apprenticeship experience. Glad you can now laugh, too. :)

This puts me in the mood to do some reading!

Margie wrote: "@oshizu - thank you so much for sharing this information. That video is a perfect introduction. I watched a couple more in the mix. It's amazing that something so old still continues.

I'm laughin..."
The part where I fell asleep in the front row was before my apprenticeship, thankfully. I was unclear; I meant my first encounter with noh. :D

Thank goodness!

Hi oshizu and Sai.

I've read the first section and my first impression is 'great recommendation, oshizu!' I'm a fan of this style - tight, understated writing with a mood that's a bit worldly, disaffected, and dark. The book is short but you can tell from the outset that a whole lot will be happening. I can't speak to the accuracy of the translation but as far as readability, it's great - no clunkiness anywhere.

(view spoiler)[
1. First, since I just read Genji for the first time, I'm going to admit how pleased I was to recognize the TToG references 😃. When they mentioned that Yorihito's greatest role was in the noh play Lady Aoi I thought, "I know who that is!" And of course the whole article about Lady Rokujo. The writing is so good that I'm sure you could read and appreciate this without having read TToG - but I'm glad I read it.

2. This first section seems to be setting up various themes and foreshadowing such as ghosts and spirit possession - the seance, the weaver of the Noh robe, a reference to ghost-story parties, Lady Rokujo. I have a vague sense that one of the themes is that women hide behind masks and can't be trusted - but it's too soon to tell.

3. There are already complicated relationships. Both Ibuki and Mikame are in love with Yasuko. Mieke and Yasuko seem close. Mieke is being presented as the manipulator - but is she? There's a real feeling of suspense. I want to know more about Mieke and Yasuko especially.

4. The inclusion of classic elements like the Noh plays and Genji in a modern novel is done very well. I felt like I in good hands from the beginning. The relatively long essay is clearly showing us that Mieke relates to Rokujo who Genji both loved and feared (hell hath no fury...!) I think we can expect some revenge ahead. (hide spoiler)]

On to part II to find out where this is all headed. Look forward to your thoughts!

Margie, I'm glad to hear you are enjoying this novel.
I am as well and can scarcely believe that I am not now reading it for the first time. An intensive summer session is not the best environment for an imaginatively, immersive reading experience.

Reading this novella with The Tale of Genji (TToG) still fresh in mind makes a startling difference. I have also finished the first part of the book, Ryo no Onna.
(view spoiler)[1 On their return trip from Kyoto to Tokyo, Ibuki seems to play right into Mieko's master plan. Impulsive (he thinks), he disembars with Yasuki at Atami, a small resort town not that far from Tokyo which is historically known as a destination for newlyweds and hidden trysts.
So, Yasuko's agreed to marry Mikame but is more attracted to Ibuki?
2. Mieko's essay as the author's "mouthpiece": as The Tale of Genji plunges us into daily court life among Genji and his entourage as unanalyzed hearsay or first-hand accounts, I enjoyed reading the interpretation of the author/Mieko of Lady Rokujo's centrality in TToG and her possible motives. I might have frowned inwardly when Ibuki silent scoffed at Meiko's essay as amateurish. Of course, he would. He is a man with little respect for women.
3. Who's da Boss? In TToG, the women have minimal to zero agency. In Masks, it is the two men--Mikame and Ibuki--who stand uneasily at the fringes of the "main action," uncertain of what's really going on. Or maybe that only describes Ibuki.
4. Harume: There is also the mystery of Akio's beautiful twin sister. Except for the essay, we spent much of Part 1 seeing the s(very blurry) situation through the unknowing eyes of Ibuki.
I wonder if he remains the focalizer of this novel? (hide spoiler)]

I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next.
Sai, how are you doing? Have you been able to obtain a copy of this book and start reading?

I'm still not done reading Part 2, Masugami, but I have several thoughts to share, two which are only tangentially related.

(view spoiler)[1. Masking: in noh drama, a mark serves not as a concealing device but more like a (shamanic?) object of focus. The performer, by donning the mask, "unites" with the spirit of the character, which is somewhat like a state of possession

2. Origins of noh: Many of its performance aspects draw from the tranced state of miko (Shinto shrine "maidens"). Traditionally, one would circle a steaming cauldron holding a branch while gradually going into trance. In medieval years, a sole woman traveler would wear the disguise of a miko for safety. In noh, a woman holding a branch is symbolic of a crazed woman.

3. Patriarchy: So many of the performance aspects of noh have been performed by male performers and playwrights, transforming noh into an exclusively male realm.
This is also what happened with exorcism rituals in Japan. Traditionally, the divine oracle was a woman who, in a state of possessed trance, conveyed the celestial will/destiny.
With the advent of Buddhism, male priests took over as the "MC," with the medium relegated to lower position. In TToG exorcism rituals, the exorcising priest is named but the (female) medium who receives the possessing spirit never is. In Masks, a man presides and guides the seance, though it's a woman who has the ability to "communicate with spirits." (hide spoiler)]

I don't know what these thoughts have to do with Masks, but they came to mind last night as I was trying to sleep.

I finished this book yesterday and enjoyed it immensely.

My final impressions on both Masugami & Fukai
(view spoiler)[
Mieko's lover: So, after her miscarriage, Mieko had a younger lover. This makes her somewhat more like Lady Rokujo but she never feels any resentment toward this unnamed lover who died during the war.

Ibuki: he never fails to sound like a sexist jerk. He likens Mieko and Yasuko to an Edo-period courtesan and her kamuro attendant (i.e., like "sex workers." Below is a woodblock print from mid-1800s.
https://honolulumuseum.org/collection...
He also describes walking with them in their house as "being escorted by two prostitutes down the hall of some brothel long-ago time" and considers the women's relationship "unclean."

*Aguri's abortions: I'm unsure of the timeline in this story, but wonder if Aguri's two abortions were illegal. Japan didn't legalize abortions until 1940 for rape and I don't remember what other reasons, but probably not "inconvenience."

*Mikame's revelations: In his convo with Ibuki about Mieko's past, we learn more about Aguri. I had trouble figuring out which man was talking at times. Someone says "It's almost as if [Aguri's] bitterness sent Akio to his grave." (Was this Mikame speaking?)
In response, possibly Ibuki responds: "Yes, I suppose that makes them even since they both lost children."
I think the latter comment was by Ibuki since it's so dumb. They're not even close to even. Aguri caused Mieko's miscarriage. Aguri's abortions were a decision made by Mieko's husband, maybe even before his marriage to Mieko.

*Revenge motif: I can't say if it's Aguri's jealous spirit or karmic retribution that caused both of Mieko's children to suffer.
Mieko's vengeance against her husband is more secretive: she appropriates the Togano patrilinage by offering only heirs who are not blodd-related to her husband.

Yasuko: one two occasions at least, she tells Mieko that she is Mieko's medium. Is that simply metaphorical in that she's serving as accomplice toward Meiko's goa (even through Yasuko herself harbors no grudge toward Akio)?

The ending: I don't remember this ending from my first read at (which is not surprising since it was almost 20 yrs ago).
What does it mean that Meiko pauses with her arm held out "as if paralyzed"? Is her spirit wandering? (hide spoiler)]

I'm looking forward to read your thoughts on this novella!

Sorry for the slow reply - I've been distracted....

I really enjoyed reading this book. I was surprised by how modern the book feels even though it was published in 1958.

(view spoiler)[I
* Mieko's lover - agree, her rage wasn't directed at her younger lover (who she seemed to genuinely love). Her Lady Rokujo-like fury was directed at her husband and Aguri who caused her miscarriage.

*Both Ibuki and Mikame seemed like sexist jerks. That passage about the women seeming like sex workers was something else. But Mikame also assumed that someone other than Mieko must have written the paper about Lady Rokujo.

*Aguri's abortions: I read this as contemporary to when it was published so the abortions would have been at least twenty years earlier. The matter-of-fact tone about Aguri's abortions was striking and I wondered if it was more socially acceptable in Japan. It sounds like it was likely illegal but the husband's prominence probably made it easier. The doctor also suggested an abortion for Harume but that probably fit within the law.

Mikame's revelation: I also think that ridiculous comment was from Ibuki. They're even??? Akio was in a terrible situation but they definitely weren't even.

Revenge: I hadn't thought about Aguri's spirit as the cause of the children's suffering. It felt more like karmic retribution for Mieko's vengeful behavior. The scene with the nurse near the end made it clear that Mieko had been consumed with revenge for her adult life. She definitely played the long game at deceiving her husband and then tried to keep it going with Harume (poor woman).

Yasuko - there was good bit of back story for Mieko but we don't learn much about Yasuko. Her relationship with Mieko was strange but it's not clear why she felt so tied to Mieko. Was it shared grief about Akio? Was it some shared feeling of power in a situation where women were socially constrained? Mieko seemed to take pleasure in presenting a placid face to the world even though she was in reality very strong-willed. Yasuko made it sound like she was compelled to go along but she seemed a willing participant in the scheme.

My impression at the end was that Meiko had been struck/attacked by a spirit - her husband, Akuri, Akio, Harume? No shortage of potentially angry spirits.

All in all, I was impressed with how much was tightly woven into a short novella. Thanks so much for suggesting this as a buddy read. I have The Waiting Years on my mental TBR for next year. Have you read it? (hide spoiler)]

In response to Margie
(view spoiler)[*Abortions: Birth control pills were not legalized in Japan until 1999, though condoms have been around for centuries. I remember a Japanese friend of mine "joking" about abortion being the most common form of birth control. Enough on that topic.

*Yasuko: I agree that her behavior and loyalty toward Mieko remain a mystery. Perhaps she didn't actually care for either Ibuki & Mikame at all. But then again, she now has an infant of Akio's blood to care for, if not her own child with Akio. It was never presented as motivating factor, though, since Harume's unfortunate death had not been anticipated.

*The ending: Since this novel revolves around the theme of female revenge, my guess for the visiting spirit would be either Aguri. Harume doesn't seem to have the wits to feel strongly enough about anything, sadly. (hide spoiler)]

No, I have yet to read The Waiting Years and would love to buddy read it with you next year. Just say the word.

Sai, how are you doing?