Mask - Lacquered wood - Long-nosed tengu - Red and gold lacquered Tengu mask with huge nose - Japan - Shōwa period (1926-1989)

Red and gold lacquered Tengu mask with huge nose sticking out. Executed with red, black and gold lacquer. At the back a cord for wearing or hanging. Tengu (Japanese: 天狗) are a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion. They are considered a type of yōkai (supernatural beings) or Shinto kami (gods) . The tengu were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey, and they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics. The earliest tengu were pictured with beaks, but this feature has often been humanized as an unnaturally long nose, which today is widely considered the tengu's defining characteristic in the popular imagination. Buddhism long held that the tengu were disruptive demons and harbingers of war. Their image gradually softened, however, into one of protective, if still dangerous, spirits of the mountains and forests. (Wikipedia ½ lit. "Heavenly Dog" or "Heavenly Sentinel") . Some minor signs of age and use but overall in very nice original condition.