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Encyclopedia ID 94

Fukuwarai

Also known as 福笑い · blindfold face-building

Fukuwarai: photograph by Toyohara Chikanobu
Photo: Toyohara Chikanobu, Public domain, source on Wikimedia Commons

A blindfolded player places eyes, nose, brows and mouth on an empty face outline; the result is revealed and usually hilarious.

Heritage note

Part of the living heritage of Japan.

Origins

Usually placed in the era of Age of Contact and Craft (about 1500 to 1800), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of Japan and Korea.

Sources

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