Oldest surviving theatre prop

The oldest surviving examples of theatre props are a pair of Noh masks (used in traditional Japanese theatre) that date from the 14th century. These two masks – depicting "Chichinojou" (a cheerful old man) and "Enmeikaja" (a young man) – belonged to the Konparu Troupe and continued to be used in its productions until the 1950s. Today they are part of the collection of the National Museum in Tokyo, Japan.

Nogaku is a Japanese theatrical form that developed from various traditional entertainments and ceremonial pageants in the 14th century. It places a strong emphasis on music and movement, with typically minimal dialogue and narration. Nogaku is composed of two types of theatre, noh (drama) and kyogen (comedy), that are usually performed as a sequence of two noh plays with one kyogen between them. Nogaku plays often tell stories from Japanese myth or legend, with ghosts, gods and spirits playing prominent roles.

Several of Japan's long established Nogaku schools still use centuries-old masks, which have been handed down from one generation of performers to the next. Noh and kyogen masks represent various formalised characters and character types, and are traditionally carved from Japanese cypress (Hinoki) wood before being painted and lacquered.

Although surviving copies of Greek and Roman theatre masks exist, these are ceramic or stone versions made as art pieces or ceremonial objects. Contemporary sources tell us that the actual masks used in ancient Greek and Roman theatre were made from wood or leather and stiffened cloth.