Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Vol. 1

Masks are a motif and a symbol associated with the Demon Slayer Corps; they serve both a practical and a symbolic purpose. Masks protect the identities of demon slayers and those associated with them, who would otherwise be targets for demons looking to kill them. Despite being a retired demon slayer, Urokodaki wears a tengu mask to protect his identity from demons like the Hand Demon—who bear him ill will for trapping them on Mount Fujikasane. While this mask physically protects his identity, it also symbolizes a protective force, as tengu were often guardians of nature in Shintō folkore.

Urokodaki utilizes this symbolic protective force when carving fox masks for his students. He personalizes each mask: Sabito’s mask bears a scar that mirrors his real scar, while Makomo’s mask bears the same flower design that covers her robes. The mask carved for Tanjiro bears a sun, like that on his hanafuda earrings. While this volume does not address Tanjiro’s relationship with the sun, the power of the sun becomes important to him and Nezuko in subsequent volumes. As for the Japanese fox (or kitsune) that inspires Urokodaki’s masks, it is a mythological figure that has been used in Japanese literature and theatre for over 500 years. Kitsune are shapeshifters that serve as messengers between humans and Inari Ōkami, a deity in the Shintō belief. They connect two worlds and are symbolically linked to Tanjiro, whose sympathy for demons creates a bridge between the human world and demon world.

Ironically, the masks meant to protect Urokodaki’s last 14 students led to their deaths. The Hand Demon began recognizing the masks and associating them with Urokodaki’s tengu mask, which was carved in a similar way. In this respect, Urokodaki’s mask—a physical means to shield his face, his emotions—hides his grief. He later admits that his harsh treatment of Tanjiro stems from this grief, as he didn’t want another student to enter the final selection and die.