Hand carved from bone and hand painted Japanese Noh mask, Hannya. The Hannya mask dates back to the 14th century where it first appeared in the Japanese theater. Hannya was once a beautiful woman with striking eyes, and a velvet skin tone. Deeply wounded by the man she loved, a slow rage of jealousy erupts and eventually pushes her to the edge of madness. Hannya loses her spirit in the darkness and transforms into a demon. The word Hannya in Japanese actually means ‘wisdom’ and the masks themselves are considered a symbol of good luck. In Japan today, the masks are often used as a means of warding off evil.