A breathtaking carved wood mask representing Ryo-o (also Rangryo and a plethora of other spellings), the mythical Dragon King. It is made of carved wood lacquered black and red then covered in gold. The chin is attached by silk cords to allow the mouth to swing freely with the dancer’s movements. The Rangryo mask represents a young Chinese king who was renowned for his beauty, but who could not intimidate his enemies. In battle, he donned a hideous mask surmounted by a dragon to hide his face and frighten his enemies. The dance is a solo dance; it is highly martial and more active than many other Bugaku dances. This mask is 36.5 x 18.5 x 18 (14-1/2 x 7-1/2 x 7-1/4 inches) and is in excellent condition, enclosed in an age darkened Kiri wood box titled Ryo-o men.
Bugaku is an official court dance of Japan, dating back to at least the Heian period, Bugaku dances were so central to protocol that nearly all ceremonies and festivals included them. The dance was especially important in appeasing angry gods, purifying the village, and petitioning the gods for rain or a good harvest. The dance is performed to the music of drums and flutes. The dancers enter the stage singly in succession, then dance together in pairs, in synchronicity to varying tempos. Each dance has its own mask and is named after the mask. Bugaku masks were sometimes made of wood, like this one, and sometimes made from kanshitsu, dried lacquer.
