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Wood with paint and hair
H: 23.9 W: 18.8 D: 9.4 cm
Japan

Gift of Charles Lang Freer F1905.314

This mask represents a demon (oni). It probably was used in tsuina (or oni yarai), a ritual exorcism performed on the night before the New Year to drive out demons. The eyes once may have been covered with gilt metal to create a gleaming, fearsome appearance.