[Seoul, Korea] National Folk Museum, Seoul

#0yentripFebruary2025 I went to the Folk Museum to see the wooden dolls called 꼭두 (kotdu), which were made to be buried with people or to decorate coffins when people die. It was an area of ​​Korean culture that I had always been interested in. There were people riding tigers, people dancing, and acrobats doing handstands, and the companions of those who are leaving this world for the next were simple and adorable, with unique expressions and poses that made me smile, and I smiled at their bright view of life and death. Ah, it was fun. Some people were watching with their children, and I could even hear them laughing. Now that the last craftsman who specializes in 꼭두 is gone, the role of 꼭두 as a prayer and ritual may have come to an end. But with such a fun companion, it must have been a little easier to say goodbye. It was the first time I had ever smiled so much after seeing an exhibition on the theme of death. ・National Folk Museum