These items are not only stylish, but also educational!

Felissimo, the brand that brings us cute accessories that are typically animal or anime-themed, actually has a couple of subbrands, including the humorous brand known as You+More, as well as their brand dedicated to cat-themed merchandise, Felissimo Cat Division.

There’s also Felissimo Museum Division, which focuses on merchandise related to art. In fact, Felissimo Museum Division just released a new line of Noh Theater accessories, which are produced in collaboration with the Kyoto Kanze Noh Theater (pictured below). They’re designed to be “your doorway into Noh”, a nice introduction to the art form of Noh for those who don’t know much about it.

For example, one of the most iconic parts of Noh theater is the masks worn by the actors, which are known as omote. They’re also used to represent spirits. Within Felissimo Museum Division’s new line, they come in the form of a makeup bag (2,310 yen/US$18.84). It’s modeled after the bewitching female mask known as manpi and is about the same size as a real one.

They’ve even recreated the backside of the mask on the underside of the pouch, so it looks like a real Noh manpi mask!

But while the exterior of the bag might look like something you wouldn’t want to stumble upon in the dark of night, the inside is surprisingly practical, with storage slots for makeup brushes and lipstick and a zippered pouch for smaller items.

Another distinctive feature of Noh theater is the costumes, which are often elaborate kimono designs with beautiful patterns and luxury stitching. Those have been recreated in the new accessory collection, too, in the form of reversible handkerchiefs (1,650 yen each). Each side of each handkerchief has a different mask and pattern, representing the type of Noh theater known as Fukushiki Mugen, which often depicts supernatural creatures. The two different masks show the transformation of characters between forms.

When folded up, they look like Noh characters on stage!

Each handkerchief also comes with a tag with a QR code on it, that when scanned, leads you to a webpage that will summarize the story behind that particular mask and costume pattern. That’s really cool if you’re curious about the stories told in Noh theater.

Finally, the line incorporated the ancient concept of shochikubai, which symbolizes good luck. The concept of shochikubai is derived from three hardy winter plants: the plum tree, the pine tree, and bamboo, which individually represent longevity, life, the future, and hope. This important concept is used throughout Japanese art forms, including Noh, and have been represented as earrings in the Felissimo Museum Division’s new collection (3,080 yen per pair).

Naturally, with three symbols, there are three designs available: a plum blossom….

The boughs of a pine tree…

And a stalk of bamboo.

These items all present a wonderful opportunity to become familiar with Noh theater, but if you’re already a Noh fan, they’re also a great way to express your appreciation for one of the world’s oldest forms of theatrical art. If you’re interested, they can be purchased now on Felissimo’s online shop, where you can also find other Felissimo Museum Division goods like their Hokusai Colored Pencil Set.

Source, images: PR Times
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