중국 호랑이 관련 연희의 전승 양상

Abstract

In China, tiger plays have been performed for various ritual and festival since ancient times. The origin of Narye (a ritual) shows that a ritual play, where 12 deified animals chase away tigers and evil spirits, had been performed in Han Dynasty. We also can find the record about the 'gakjeo play'(a kind of wrestling match) entitled "Hwanggong of East Sea," which was developed from the fight with a tiger and popular in East Han Dynasty and a mask play entitled "Botou" which is a requiem ritual caused by tiger. These plays were handed down so they are being performed in various levels. These plays can be classified into three types by its purposes and characteristics: worship, artistic accomplishment, and the 'gakjeo play' (a kind of wrestling match). The plays of the worship type has been handed down by minority races and districts that have had a tiger totem since ancient times. The plays of the artistic accomplishment type is based on the function of beating off evil spirits, but the function of artistic accomplishments is strengthened too. In the 'gakjeo play', a tiger which is an animal harmful for human beings, is dominated by a fight with human beings or a cow, and in this process, human beings-centered descriptions are made. Chinese people maintain the function of a tiger that beats off evil spirits, but they also regard a tiger as a target to dominate or entertain with. Through the analysis of the types of the tiger plays, we can find that the tiger plays can be divided into two categories: the plays for minority races that is based on the totem faith and has the characteristics of a ritual; and the plays having the functions of beating off evil spirits and of artistic accomplishments. The latter type of the tiger plays, which is the general trend,. works as both rituals and entertainment in the 'She-huo' context of spring festival.