Images(2)

Mask for tengu

Date18th–19th century

Label TextWith a long nose, grinning mouth, and clenched teeth, this mask is for tengu, a mythical demon of the woods and mountains who can transform into human forms. This type of long-nosed tengu has a human body and sometimes the wings of a bird. It was identified with the god of roads and used in processions to Shinto festivals. (Shinto is Japan’s indigenous religion.)

Object number45.104

Photo CreditPhoto: Elizabeth Mann

Exhibition HistoryVancouver, British Columbia, UBC Museum of Anthropology, The Hidden Dimension: Face Masking In East Asia, May 22 - Dec. 1984. Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing.

Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection

Dimensions10 1/8 x 7 1/2 x 13 1/2 in. (25.72 x 19.05 x 34.29 cm)

MediumWood and brass