Buddhist Mask
1400-1500 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This mask was used in Buddhist Gyodo ceremonies such Raigo and Nerikuyo which have their origins in Tang dynasty (AD 618-906) China. It is made of lacquered, painted and gilded wood and shows clear signs of use. Labels inside the mask refer to cyclical dates on which the mask was used for the New Year processions.
During Gyodo ceremonies priests wearing masks enact the part of Amida Buddha (Sanskrit: Amitabha) and his disciples, welcoming the soul of dying believers into Paradise. The priests also carry a statue or Buddhist relics in a carriage or palanquin in a procession. Bodhisattva masks are particularly associated with the Raigo form of the Gyodo ceremony, in which the dead are welcomed into Paradise by the Amida Buddha. Bodhisattva (Japanese: Bosatsu) are Buddhist saints.
A well-known Nerikuyo ceremony is still conducted at Taimadera in Nara on the fourteenth of May each year.
During Gyodo ceremonies priests wearing masks enact the part of Amida Buddha (Sanskrit: Amitabha) and his disciples, welcoming the soul of dying believers into Paradise. The priests also carry a statue or Buddhist relics in a carriage or palanquin in a procession. Bodhisattva masks are particularly associated with the Raigo form of the Gyodo ceremony, in which the dead are welcomed into Paradise by the Amida Buddha. Bodhisattva (Japanese: Bosatsu) are Buddhist saints.
A well-known Nerikuyo ceremony is still conducted at Taimadera in Nara on the fourteenth of May each year.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Wood, covered with gufun, painted, lacquered and gilded |
| Brief description | Buddhist mask, wood, Japanese, 15th century |
| Physical description | Made of four sections of wood (possibly Japanese cypress) which have been covered with gofun (a type of gesso) and then painted, lacquered and gilded. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label | Processional mask of a bodhisattva
1400–1500
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is an enlightened being who helps others on their path to enlightenment. This mask would have been worn along with sumptuous robes for a religious ceremony in which monks processed around the buildings and grounds of a temple complex. This created the effect of the world to come.
Carved, lacquered and gilded wood, with painted details
Purchased with the assistance of the Art Fund
Museum no. A.9-1967
(04/11/2015) |
| Credit line | Purchased with the assistance of the Art Fund |
| Summary | This mask was used in Buddhist Gyodo ceremonies such Raigo and Nerikuyo which have their origins in Tang dynasty (AD 618-906) China. It is made of lacquered, painted and gilded wood and shows clear signs of use. Labels inside the mask refer to cyclical dates on which the mask was used for the New Year processions. During Gyodo ceremonies priests wearing masks enact the part of Amida Buddha (Sanskrit: Amitabha) and his disciples, welcoming the soul of dying believers into Paradise. The priests also carry a statue or Buddhist relics in a carriage or palanquin in a procession. Bodhisattva masks are particularly associated with the Raigo form of the Gyodo ceremony, in which the dead are welcomed into Paradise by the Amida Buddha. Bodhisattva (Japanese: Bosatsu) are Buddhist saints. A well-known Nerikuyo ceremony is still conducted at Taimadera in Nara on the fourteenth of May each year. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.9-1967 |
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| Record created | April 15, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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