A Comparative Study on Mask Dance Performed in the NORTHEAST ASIA 'GUNA(구나, 驅儺)' Ritual

Abstract

This paper examines Korea's ‘Cheoyonghmu’, China's ‘Cham’, and Japan's ‘Kagura’by focusing on ‘Guna’ among shamanistic rituals. These dances presuppose a ritual that pursues evil spirits, but they have something in common called ‘mask dance’. Mask dance is generally known to have originated from primitive religious events or acts of seasonal customs, and fundamentally contains the meaning of faith or blessing inherent in human life. Therefore, we would like to find the essential meaning of mask dance by analyzing the structure, form, and content of the dance to restore the artistic authority of Na(儺) culture and linking traditional culture and dance in each country despite geographical differences in East Asia.