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Enmeikaja (延命冠者)

Okina has been called “Noh, yet not Noh,” as it is really more a Shinto ritual or prayer song than a Noh performance, and enmeikaja is the name of the young person that appears with the chichinojō. Chichinojō is the name of the old deity that appears in both shikisanban and sanbansō, however chichinojō began to be left out in the Muromachi era. As a result, it is rare to see the enmeikaja on stage today. Now, it is only seen in performances of shikisanban (okina) in the enmeikaja style. The mask worn by the enmeikaja has the same name, and has the face of a lucky young person. In the Noh play Sagi, usually the enmeikaja is played by a young boy or old man with no mask, and only occasionally will an adolescent to middle-aged performer play the role with while wearing the enmeikaja mask.

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