Sneaking Mask
History, Heritage & Religion

for further reading: Once Asked Questions

The mask and pack that Happosai carry are known as a hokkamuri" (頬っ被り) and a "furoshiki" (風呂敷). The hokkamuri were commonly worn by farmers to keep the sun off their head with it tied beneath their chin, however ninja and burglers would tie it nearer to their nose as a makeshift mask.

The furoshiki is a towel or blanket used to place items on and then it is tied together and carried. In the Edo period these were commonly found in all Japanese homes as a way to bundle things, and so burglers would typically find one in a Japanese home and use it to gather up things and carry away their loot. The trope of the hokkamuri and furoshiki as indicators of a burgler were already established in pre-World War II manga and are well ingrained in Japanese culture.

In the first film, Akane is shown wearing a mask like this when she breaks into Kirin's pickle vats. Happosai is often shown wearing one when he goes on his panty raids. The American version of this would be a thief wearing a black mask over their eyes.