Tengu Mask Tanabe Seisuke the barbarians rise and begin

the barbarians rise and begin to dance

Otafuku (阿多福) is a popular figure in folk tales and paired with a male caricature called Hyottoko and podgy cheeks

Artist/Carver: Kiyomi Yokota

The dance allegedly comes from two Chinese folklore myths

used in an annual event in the Imperial Palace on New Year's Eve (December 30 (old calendar))

Tengu Mask Tanabe Seisuke the barbarians rise and beginTraditional Iron Japanese Tengu Mask Description Tengu (, "heavenly dog") are a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion and are also considered a type of Shinto god (kami) or ykai (supernatural beings). They are mountain dwellers who despise and attack vain and self involved individuals. Tengu usually appear dressed in the robes of a Buddhist monk with the small black cap favored by a clan of warrior mountain monks called the