This small replica Hahoetal mask of Yangban the aristocrat, was gifted to Mythstories museum in 2008 by the South Korean cultural mission. They accompanied a camera crew who filmed the museum as part of a world-wide fact-finding mission before establishing a Hahoe Mask Museum which is now to be found in Andong.
Hahoetal masks are the traditional Korean masks worn in the Hahoe Pyolshin-gut t’al nori ceremony, which dates back to the 12th century. They represent the stock characters needed to perform the roles in the ritual dance dramas included in the ceremony. The masks are considered to be among of the most beautiful and well known images representing Korean culture and the Government have named them a “National Treasure”.
The ten major characters and their masks are…
Imae: A Fool
Ch’oraengi: The Hasty Scatterbrained Meddler
Kaksi : The Bride
Chuji : The Lion
Paekchong : The Butcher
Halmi : The Old Widow
Chung : The Depraved Buddhist Monk
Yangban : The Aristocrat
Sonbi : The Scholar
Pune : The Flirtatious Young Woman
Find out all about them and the their story by visiting the Hahoe Mask Museum website @ http://www.mask.kr/default.htm
