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The Japanese Tiger Symbol and its Meaning
TORA! TORA! TORA! 虎 "Tora" is the Japanese word for tiger, originated from southern China, deriving from the word "taira". Although, they have never lived in the wilds within Japan, they have been long known and so highly esteemed and feared among the Japanese as shown from arts, stories and skins. One story commonly told today coined the phrase - FURUYA NO MORU WA TORA O-KAMI YORI MO OSOROSHII ( 古屋の漏るは虎狼よりも恐ろしい) meaning, a leaky roof is more terrible than a tiger, showing how feared tigers are, they have been the standard of fear, awe, or scariness. Tora or Tigers in...
The Meaning Behind the Hannya Mask
The Hannya Mask is one of the most iconic Noh masks used in Japanese traditional theater. It depicts an envious female demon with two devil horns, piercing metallic eyes, and leering teeth. It is not a symbol or an abstraction of jealousy; it is a physical transformation of a jealous woman or of a spirit that has momentarily left the body and taken another form.