SOKYU: A FINE SO SCHOOL WOOD NETSUKE OF A MAN CARRYING A LARGE TENGU MASK

SOKYU: A FINE SO SCHOOL WOOD NETSUKE OF A MAN CARRYING A LARGE TENGU MASK

By Sokyu, signed Sokyu to 藻丘 刀
Japan, Tokyo, late 19th to early 20th century

Depicting a man with a humorously large konoha tengu mask strapped to his back. The details very finely carved and the wood beautifully polished as is typical for this school. Two small himotoshi underneath. Signed underneath SOKYU to [carved by Sokyu]. The carver was a member of the So school who mostly made mask netsuke or katabori with masks.

LENGTH 4 cm

Condition: An old fill to the top of the tengu mask. Otherwise very good condition with minor typical wear.

Museum comparison:
Compare a closely related wood netsuke by the same artist depicting a mask carver, signed Sokyu to, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET), accession number 10.211.1826, and illustrated in Okada, Barbra Teri (1982) Netsuke: Masterpieces from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, p. 104, no. 98.