TITLE: Hahoe Nobleman Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Asia
COUNTRY: Korea
SUBREGION: Geongsangbuk-do
ETHNICITY: Korean
DESCRIPTION: Hahoe Nobleman Mask
CATALOG ID: N/A
MAKER: N/A
CEREMONY: Hahoe Byeolsingut Talnori
FUNCTION: celebration; entertainment; protection/purification
AGE: N/A
MAIN MATERIAL: wood
OTHER MATERIALS: paint; lacquer; silk cords
The Hahoe Byeolsingut dance-drama is a ceremony dating back to at least the 12th century. In it, stock characters act out plays to amuse the observers and teach social lessons. There are ten traditional episodes in a play squence, beginning with religious rituals of prayer. The dramas are highly stylized and often accompanied by music. The Hahoe masks, unlike most talnori masks, are made of wood and not ritually burned after the performance to exorcise any demons inhabiting the mask.
Although tourist masks representing Hahoe dance-drama characters are common, genuine masks made for use are rare and considered sacred objects. The Museum’s collection does not currently include a representative example of a genuine Byeolsingut Talnori mask.
