Japanese 'Demon' Festival Grapples with Blessing and Curse of UNESCO Listing ... By Reuters; Namahage masks and costumes are displayed at Namahage Museum in Oga, Akita prefecture, Japan, Feb. 8, 2019.

Noh performances traditionally incorporate masks into costumes of the different characters, with exaggerated faces depicting old men, young beauties, and evil demons.

Pictured: Japan's 'crying baby sumo' festival returns for first time since pandemic Staff wearing demon masks try to make the babies cry, with the first to bawl declared the winner ...

As a child, Tatsuo Sato was terrified when the Namahage demons roared into his northern Japanese house every year, but in adulthood he mourned as the centuries-old tradition faded away.