Bugaku masks, traditionally divided into three classes according to size, are in principle different for each dance, so that the expression and construction of the mask are suited to the content of the dance and the gestures of the dancer. There are carefully constructed masks with moving parts, as well as extremely simple ones that merely suggest an abstract version of the human face.

The three sizes of bugaku masks

Bugaku masks can be divided into three classes based on size: large masks, medium-sized masks, and small masks. This division is not based on concrete measurement, but rather a comparative perspective. In reality, the difference between the three sizes is slight.

A class of masks known as zōmen, made of silk glued to thick paper, on which an abstract design based on human facial features is painted, are excluded from this classification.

Expression and construction of bugaku masks as reflections of content and gesture

Zōmen mask for Ama

A medium-sized mask, Genjōraku. Red lacquer on wood

A medium-sized mask, Ryōō (Ranryōō)

Various efforts are made in the construction of bugaku masks to express effectively the content of the dance, from masks with moving parts to the embedding of silk and other thread into areas of the mask to imitate hair, eyebrows, and the like.

Masks with moving parts include those of such popularly staged dances as Ryōō (Ranryōō) and Nasori. For these, the eyes and chin are not attached firmly to the body of the mask, but suspended in such a way that they move up and down together with the movements of the dancer.

The mask for Genjōraku is even more intricate, with not only eyes and chin but a forehead that can move independently of the mask. The complicated movement this produces makes for a more vivid expression of the dancer’s surprise at seeing the snake and joy at catching it.

Another interesting mask is one used in Kotokuraku, the nose of which moves from left to right. This movement is an important part of the portrayal of the character’s drunkenness.

Of completely different character are the masks of the zōmen category. They are oblong masks of paper with thin silk glued to their surface, on which an abstract design based on human facial features is painted.