Wooden Mask of Hannya – Meiji
April 2013 Auction by Far East Asian Art

This is a fairly large wooden carving of the character known as Hannya. We are not sure if was meant to be a netsuke or just a wall decoration. The piece measures 3 ½” high x 2” wide x 1 1/8” deep – rather big for a netsuke. However, we have seen netsuke worn by Sumo wrestlers in the past that are this big – that could be the case here. The carving in deliberately rough in order to emphasize the fierce nature of Hannya. It has brass eyes to heighten the effect...