Gigaku mask: Suikoō, the drunken Hu king

Maker unknown · Paulownia, partly Japanese cypress; painted white, partly red with ink lines · Undated in the Imperial Household Agency record · Shōsō-in Treasures, South Section 1

Step to the side to see the high nose and tall cap. This mask plays a drunken king of the Hu, and the agency record lists only one earlier showing, in 1964.

Exhibition: The 78th Annual Exhibition of Shōsō-in Treasures — Nara National Museum · 2026-10-24 – 2026-11-09