A Mask of Cheoyong: Repelling smallpox and other ills

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Cheoyongmu; Korean Traditional

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Masked Dance Performance Based on the Legendary Tale of Cheoyong

  • Cheoyongmu is a court dance performed on stage. But formally it used to dispel evil spirits and pray for tranquility at royal banquets or during exorcism rites on New Year’s Eve to promote good fortune.

  • Cheoyongmu was designated as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2009.

  • Cheoyongmu is based on the legendary tale of Cheoyong from the Silla dynasty (9 century).

  • According to the Korean legend of Cheoyong, a son of the dragon king Yongwang took human form and saved his human wife from the smallpox spirit through singing and dancing. After that, the dance has been performed by five men clad in white, blue, black, red and yellow to represent the four cardinal directions and the center.

  • They wear the light wine-colored mask of the man-god, with white teeth, tin earrings with a necklace of lead beads, and a black hat decorated with two peony blossoms and seven peaches to ward off evil and invite auspicious energy. The dancers move with stateliness and vigor through a variety of styles and tempos of music, punctuated by various lyrical song recitations.

  • Folk mythology surrounding Cheoyong includes the belief that his image carved on the gate of a house would repel smallpox and other ills.

  • The painting, which dances with wearing masks, was painted in 1745.

  • I hope everyone is safe from the current covid-19.

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