Korean mask
Encyclopedia
Korean masks have a long tradition with use in a variety of contexts. They were used in war, on both soldiers and their horses; ceremonially, for burial rites in jade and bronze and for shamanistic ceremonies to drive away evil spirits; to remember the faces of great historical figures in death masks; and in the arts, particularly in ritual dances, courtly, and theatrical plays. The present uses are as miniature masks for tourist souvenirs, or on cell-phones where they hang as good-luck talismans.
for their ability to evoke fear, and humour, in ceremonial rites. The masks were often made of alder wood, with several coats of lacquer to give the masks gloss, and waterproof them for wearing. They were usually also painted, and often had hinges for mouth movement.
Typically one sees the following some of which are designated as national cultural properties.The Hahoe, Sandae and Talchum are all traditional Korean mask dramas of ritual and religious significance.
Hahoe Byeolsin gut is a kind of exorcist play while performers wear mask such as yangban
tal (nobleman), bunetal, seonbi
tal (scholar), gaksital (bride), chorangital, halmital, jujital (head monk), jungital (monk), baekjeong
tal (butcher), and imaetal.
n government on November 17, 1980. Hahoe and Byeolsin masks themselves were also labelled South Korean national treasure #121 at the same time. The Hahoe mask dance is one of the folk dramas of Pungcheon Hahoe village in Andong
city, and dates from the Goryeo Dynasty.
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Shamanistic masks
The often horrifying or grotesque masks were used in shamanistic practicesKorean shamanism
Korean shamanism, today known as Muism or sometimes Sinism , encompasses a variety of indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the Korean people and the Korean area...
for their ability to evoke fear, and humour, in ceremonial rites. The masks were often made of alder wood, with several coats of lacquer to give the masks gloss, and waterproof them for wearing. They were usually also painted, and often had hinges for mouth movement.
Typically one sees the following some of which are designated as national cultural properties.The Hahoe, Sandae and Talchum are all traditional Korean mask dramas of ritual and religious significance.
Hahoe Byeolsin gut is a kind of exorcist play while performers wear mask such as yangban
Yangban
The yangban were part of the traditional ruling class or nobles of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The yangban were either landed or unlanded aristocracy who comprised the Korean Confucian idea of a "scholarly official." In reality, they were basically administrators and bureaucrats who...
tal (nobleman), bunetal, seonbi
Seonbi
Seonbi means "virtuous scholar" in Korean and typically denotes young nobleman who was preparing for the gwageo examination or passed it but did not take on government position during Joseon Dynasty...
tal (scholar), gaksital (bride), chorangital, halmital, jujital (head monk), jungital (monk), baekjeong
Baekjeong
The baekjeong were an “untouchable” outcaste group of Korea, often compared with the burakumin of Japan and the dalits of India and Nepal.-Social history:...
tal (butcher), and imaetal.
Cultural assets and national treasures
The mask play of Hahoe Byeolsin Exorcism itself was classified as important intangible cultural asset #69 by the South KoreaSouth Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n government on November 17, 1980. Hahoe and Byeolsin masks themselves were also labelled South Korean national treasure #121 at the same time. The Hahoe mask dance is one of the folk dramas of Pungcheon Hahoe village in Andong
Andong
Andong is a city in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, South Korea. It is the largest city in the northern part of the province with a population of 167,821 in October 2010. The Nakdong River flows through the city...
city, and dates from the Goryeo Dynasty.
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