A large variety of masks have been used throughout Japan’s long history. This exhibition presents masks that were used in Bugaku, a dance performed at the imperial court, and Gyodo, a Buddhist ritual procession.
Although Bugaku was based on music and dance introduced from China, Korea, and Vietnam, it was consolidated into a uniquely Japanese form. The distinctive masks of Bugaku, which feature movable eyes, jaws, and noses, may depict creatures such as dragons and cranes, or humans with exaggerated features. Gyodo masks, which portray deities such as Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, were donned by performers who would proceed in a line around a Buddhist temple.
Try to image what the performers of Bugaku and Gyodo would have looked like while donning these masks.