Masks are called tal in Korean, but they are also known by many other names such as gamyeon, gwangdae, chorani, talbak and talbagaji. Korean masks come with black cloth attached to the sides of the mask designed to cover the back of the head and also to simulate black hair. Talchum, which literally means "mask dance," is not just a dance performed by masked dancers but also a drama with masked characters enacting persons, animals or supernatural beings.


Masks and mask dances developed in Korea as early as the Prehistoric age. The masks can be placed into two categories: religious masks and artistic masks. Some masks were enshrined in shaman shrines and revered with periodical offering rites. Other religious masks were used to expel evil spirits, like Bangsangsi, which until recently, were seen at the forefront of a funeral procession to ward off evil spirits. Artistic masks were mostly used in dance and drama. However, these also had religious functions to some extent.

Most Korean tal are solid but some have movable parts like the eyeballs of the Bangsangsi mask, the mouth of the lion mask and the winking eyes of some masks in dance-drama. Of special note are the masks featured in a mask dance-drama developed in the Hahoe region. They are made out of two pieces, with the chin coming in a separate piece and attached to the upper part with strings.

Tal are not only characterized by their respective roles but also reflect the expressions and bone structures of Korean faces. Their shapes are grotesque and greatly exaggerated, and their colors are deep and bright. This is because talchum, the mask dance-drama, was usually performed at night in the light from wood fires. Masks less powerful in expression and color would have failed to deliver the themes of the drama. Religious masks and masks for daytime performances were much less vivid.

Masks are made of paper, wood, gourd and fur. Paper masks and gourd masks are prevalent, because they are simpler to make and also because they are lightweight and thus convenient to dance with.

Red, black, white and other primal colors are favored for effective characterization of the masks. The colors also identify the gender and age of the characters. An old person's mask is black, whereas that of a young man is red and that of a young woman white. In the traditional philosophy of identifying colors with directions and seasons, the black stands for the north and winter whereas the red stands for the south and summer. In many of the talchum dramas, the young man always wins over the old in a symbolic gesture of the summer triumphing over the winter. In this sense, talchum is a vestige of fertility rites.

Most of the masks depict human faces but some represent deities, and there are also masks of animals, real and imagined. An interesting feature is that the masks of yangban, the upper class gentlemen, are almost always deformed in one way or another, sometimes with harelips, a lopsided mouth, a distorted nose or squint eyes-a reflection of the commoners' hostility toward the privileged class.

Mask dance-dramas are basically a folk art naturally developed among the common people of Joseon society (1392-1910). They vary slighty according to region and performer but they all share fundamental characteristics. They are based on a sense of rebellion felt by the common people toward the reality of their lives. Their basic themes are exorcism rites, ritual dances or biting satire and parody of human weaknesses, social evils and privileged class. Like the folk literature of the time, it appeals to its audiences by ridiculing apostate Buddhist monks, decadent noblemen, and shamans. The conflict between an ugly wife and a seductive concubine is another popular theme.

The mask dance-drama consists of several acts, but they are quite different from the acts in modern plays. They are a loose presentation of several different episodes in an omnibus style. Because the lines of the actors have been passed on in oral tradition, they are quite flexible and subject to improvisation. The dance part also can be lengthened or shortened freely, so that the entire performance can take anywhere between three or four hours to the whole night until daybreak.

With regional variations, the mask dance-drama was generally performed on the First Full Moon, Buddha's Birthday on the Eighth of the Fourth Moon, Dano Festival and Chuseok. It was also performed at festive state occasions or at rituals to supplicate for rain.

Traditionally, Korean mask dance-drama was always performed outdoors. During the Goryeo and Joseon periods, it was performed on an improvised stage called sandae or up on a sloped incline so that the audience in their seats below could see well. There was a screened area used as a dressing room to the left of the stage and musicians sat to the right of the stage. Actors were all males until gisaeng, female entertainers, joined them in modern times to take up the role of shamans and concubines.

Lively dance accompanied by vigorous music from three string and six wind and percussion instruments take up the major part of a mask dance-drama performance, with actors stopping to deliver their lines with a great deal of gesticulation. Many of the roles do not have any dialogue of their own but act in pantomime, their extraordinarily stylized masks delivering the dramatic impact of their characters. The dance enlivens the drama and functions to finish up each scene but is also performed without any regard to the progress of the plot.


The most remarkable feature of Korean mask dance-drama is the enthusiastic participation of the audience. Toward the end of a performance there is little distinction between the actors and the audience as they join together in robust dance and bring it to a finale. In Korean mask dance-drama, the common people could vent their frustrations through comic dramatization and enliven their lives with a collective dramatic experience.