This mask was used in bugaku ("dance music"), a form of court music (gagaku) performed at the imperial court, shrines and temples. It represents a character from the Eight Immortals of the Kunlun Mountains, a dance associated with cranes. However, the exaggerated, wide-eyed expression of the mask gives it a humorous charm, quite unlike the graceful image typically associated with cranes. Traces remain indicating that hair was once implanted in the eyebrow. 
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