Mask

Mask

CARVED WOOD HORNED DEVIL MASK RED CHIPPED PAINT. THE MASK IS 10" HIGH 8" WIDE AND 6" DEEP. SURFACE PAINT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN BRIGHT RED NOW DULLED TO OCHER OR DARK REDISH BROWN. FACE IS CROWNED WITH TWO CONICAL HORNS FACING FOREWARD. DARK BUSHY EYEBROWS OVER EYE HOLES. VERY HIGH CHEEK AERA AND SOMEWHAT WIDE NOSE. MOUTH IS OPEN IN A GRIN OR GRIMACE. TEEHT ARE FILED TO SHARP POINTS. DEEPLY CLEFT CHIN. THE EARS ARE VERY WELL DEFINED. THE LEFT EAR HAS A NOTCH BROKEN OUT. LEFT SIDE OF MASK APPEARS TO BE PIECED ON AS SEEN FROM THE BACK OF THE MASK. A VISIBLE NAIL IS ALSO SEEN OF LEFT SIDE FRONT. REVERSE OF MASK IS BROWN UNPAINTED ROUGHLY CARVED WOOD. JUST ABOVE BOTH EARS ARE HOLES BETWEEN WHICH A WIRE IS STRUNG. IN CHIN AERA IS THE OLD CATALOG #. THIS MASK IS BELIEVED TO BE A GIYODO (GOBLIN) OR ONI MASK. PROBABLY WAS CARRIED IN PROCESSION FROM BUDDHIST TEMPLE TO TEMPLE. WAS A GUARDIAN SPIRIT OR DEMON. WAS PROBABLY NOT WARN BUT USED AS A SORT OF PUPPET. MASKS OF THIS SORT WERE USED IN THE HOUSEHOLD AT SETSUBUN (END OF WINTER FEB 3RD OR 4TH). SOYBEANS WERE PARCHED AND EACH FAMILY MEMBER ATE THE NUMBER OF BEANS TO CORRESPOND WITH THEIR AGE. THE CHANT "ONI WA SATO FUKU WA UCHI" (OUT WITH DEMONS IN WITH GOOD LUCK) WAS USED. THIS RITUAL IS PROBABLY BASED ON THE 15TH-17TH CENTURY TSUINA CEREMONY. REFERENCE MATERIAL TO FOLLOW...

1994.031.003