Korean masks have a long tradition with the use in a variety of contexts. Masks of any type are called ''tal'' ( ko, 탈) in Korean, but they are also known by many others names such as ''gamyeon'', ''gwangdae'', ''chorani'', ''talbak'' and ''talbagaji.'' Korean masks come with black cloth attached to the sides of the mask designed to cover the back of the head and also to simulate black hair.

Purpose

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, 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. There are two ways to categorize masks: religious masks and artistic masks. Religious masks were often used to ward off evil spirits and the artistic masks were mostly used in dances and theater shows.

Dance masks

Masks which use for dance in Korea are about 250 types and they vary in shape. Masks in central district usually look pretty and similar to human face more and in the southern province masks are for satire and are Shamanistic.

Shamanistic masks

The often horrifying or grotesque masks were used in shamanistic practices for their ability to evoke fear, and humor, in ceremonial rites. The masks were often made of

alder Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...

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. A mask is used to perform ancestral rites or to drive away evil spirits by wearing a mask. 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.Eckersley, M. ed. 2009. Drama from the Rim: Asian Pacific Drama Book (2nd ed.). Drama Victoria. Melbourne. p48. Hahoe Byeolsin ''gut'' is a kind of exorcist play while performers wear mask such as ''

yangban The ''yangban'' () were part of the traditional ruling class or gentry of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The ''yangban'' were mainly composed of highly educated civil servants and military officers—landed or unlanded aristocrats ...

tal'' (nobleman), ''bunetal'', ''

seonbi Seonbi or sŏnbi were scholars during the Goryeo and Joseon periods of Korea who served the public without a government position, choosing to pass up positions of wealth and power to lead lives of study and integrity. Those who chose to serve the ...

tal'' (scholar), ''gaksital'' (bride), ''chorangital'', ''halmital(grandmother)'', ''jujital'' (head monk), ''jungital'' (monk), ''

baekjeong The ''Baekjeong'' ( ko, 백정) were an untouchable caste in Korea, originating from some minority, nomadic groups of disputed ethnicity. In the early part of the Goryeo period (918–1392), these minorities were largely settled in fixed communi ...

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 Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

n government on November 17, 1980. Hahoe(Korean : 하회) and Byeolsin masks themselves were also labelled

South Korean national treasure A National Treasure () is a tangible treasure, artifact, site, or building which is recognized by the South Korean government as having exceptional artistic, cultural and historical value to the country. The title is one of the eight State-designa ...

#121 at the same time. The

Hahoe The Hahoe Folk Village (Korean: 안동하회마을) is a traditional village from the Joseon Dynasty, located in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. The 'Ha' is short for river and 'hoe' means to 'turn around, return, come back. The village ...

mask dance is one of the folk dramas of Pungcheon

Hahoe village The Hahoe Folk Village (Korean: 안동하회마을) is a traditional village from the Joseon Dynasty, located in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. The 'Ha' is short for river and 'hoe' means to 'turn around, return, come back. The village i ...

Andong Andong () is a city in South Korea, and the capital of North Gyeongsang Province. It is the largest city in the northern part of the province with a population of 167,821 as of October 2010. The Nakdong River flows through the city. Andong is a m ...

city, and dates from the

Goryeo Dynasty Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

Gallery

Image:Korea-Andong-Hahoe.Village-04.jpg, ''

Hahoetal Hahoetal masks (하회탈/河回탈) are the traditional Korean masks worn in the Hahoe Pyolshin-gut t'al nori ceremony dating back to the 12th century. They represent the stock characters needed to perform the roles in the ritual dance dra ...

'' Image:Korean mask-Chayangban-01.jpg, ''Chayangbantal'' Image:Korean mask-Yeoniptal-01.jpg, ''Yeoniptal'' Image:Korean mask dance-Songpa sandaenori-06.jpg, ''

Songpa sandaenori Songpa Sandae Noli is a type of '' sandae noli'', Korean traditional mask play which has been handed down in the neighborhoods of Songpa-dong and Garak-dong in modern-day Seoul, South Korea. ''Sandae Noli'' is a mask dance that developed in Seou ...

'' Image:Korean mask play.JPG, ''

Talchum ( t'alch'um) could be characterized as a Korean dance performed while wearing a mask, mimicry, miming, speaking, and even sometimes singing. Although the term is usually taken to mean all mask dance dramas by most Koreans, it is strictly speaki ...

References

4. Joung, Madeline. “Face Mask Culture Common in East, New to West.” Voice of America, Voice of America, 2 Apr. 2020, https://www.voanews.com/science-health/coronavirus-outbreak/face-mask-culture-common-east-new-west 5.Fouser, Robert J. “Why Koreans Wear Face Masks.” The Korea Herald, The Korea Herald, 4 Nov. 2020, www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20201104001023. http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20201104001023 6. Kim, Catherine. “What a Korean Teenage Fashion Trend Reveals About the Culture of Mask-Wearing.” POLITICO, POLITICO, 11 Aug. 2020 https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/08/11/what-a-korean-teenage-fashion-trend-reveals-about-the-culture-of-mask-wearing-393204

External links

{{Commons category, Masks of Korea, Korean mask
Korean performance masksbigbasket.pkmasksheets.com
Korean culture Masks in Asia Ritual masks