Ko-Beshimi

Sarugaku mask, demon type

A sarugaku mask representing a demon that prefigures the character of Beshimi, before the establishment of the codification of the Nō masks.

Sarugaku is the archaic term for what is now known as nōgaku, a classical drama composed of Nō and Kyōgen plays.

Conventional theory on the origins of sarugaku points to sangaku (“miscellaneous arts”) introduced from the continent that are said to have merged with indigenous performing arts and gradually evolved into the highly perfected singing and dance drama that is passed down today.