IDENTIFICATION OF WOMAN MASKS
To the uninitiated eye, the faces of the various young and middle-aged woman masks seem almost exactly the same. However, a closer look will reveal distinctly different hairline types that act as distinguishing marks between them.
KO-OMOTE
Three comparatively broad strands run parallel to each other all the way along the hairline from the part in the middle of the forehead down to the bottom.
WAKA-ONNA and ZO-ONNA
The hairlines of these two types of mask are almost identical. Thus the two types can only be differentiated by observing the texture of the skin, the lines around the eyes and the relative fullness of flatness of the cheeks. The Waka-onna is younger than the Zo-onna. Their hairlines divide into three distinct sections. The upper section, beginning at the middle of the forehead, has two strands that run parallel to each other. The middle section consists of three or four short strands at the level of the temple. The lower section from the temple to the bottom of the hairline is made up of three strands.
