Also enjiraku or enchiraku 円地楽. A piece in imperial court dancing *bugaku 舞楽 and the mask *bugakumen 舞楽面 used in the dance, which represents a smiling red faced man.
Chikyū is a quiet dance hiramai 平舞 of the Right u-no-mai 右舞 originally from Korea komagaku 高麗楽. Performed by four to six people moving in unison and wearing flowing cloaks over pantaloons kasaneshōsoku 襲装束 with colorful helmets in the shape of a phoenix torikabuto 鳥甲. Chikyū often paired with the congratulatory piece Manzairaku 万歳楽, celebrates the eternity of heaven and earth with slow, graceful movements that bring life to the radiant joy of the mask.
The classic form of the Chikyū mask is well represented by the mask by Inshō 印勝 (1185), housed in Kasuga Taisha 春日大社, Nara. Its aquiline nose has a dynamic thrust. The curled smiling eyes and elegantly curved eyebrows enliven the impression of laughter emerging from the parted lips. Between the eyebrows is a medallion decoration. The oldest extant mask belongs to Hōryūji 法隆寺 in Nara. Although the distinctive iconographic features are present, the expression lacks the exuberance of the later Chikyū masks. Fine early examples, with rounded, relaxed features, are those at Tamukeyama Jinja 手向山神社 (1042) in Nara.
