# Gigaku Mask of Young Persian Boy (Taikōji)

- Date: 710–94
- Medium: paulownia wood, lacquered and painted
- Classification: Sculpture
- Dimensions: Overall: 28 x 21 x 18.5 cm (11 x 8 1/4 x 7 5/16 in.)
- Culture: Japan, Nara period (710–94)
- Credit line: John L. Severance Fund
- Museum: [Cleveland Museum of Art](https://clevelandart.org/art/1949.158)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1949.158/1949.158_web.jpg
- Who can see it: Tweens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

This mask is for the role of the son of an old Persian widower in gigaku, a theatrical dance repertoire imported to Japan from continental Asia during the seventh century. The old man and his sons mime prayers to the Buddha. While the mask would cover the entire head of the actor, there are openings for the eyes, nostrils, and mouth.