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Japanese Signed Showa Hand Carved Wood Noh Theater Mask of Demon Hashihime 橋姫

About the Item

A beautiful, wonderfully crafted, grotesquely alluring mask made for Japanese Noh theatre. The mask is handcrafted and hand-carved from natural wood and is signed by the maker. This mask is of the legendary immortal character Hashihime 橋姫 whose mask is that of a woman whose unrequited love transforms her face into that of a demon of jealousy. The character of Hashihime comes from an episode in the Tale of the Heike. In this play, a deranged woman transforms herself into a demon through weeks of self-mortification in a freezing Kyoto river (she eventually drowns herself). She appears later smeared in red clay as a demon on the bridge where she recites curses in the darkness (the name Hashihime translates to Young Woman on the Bridge). The mask is used today in the second part of the Noh play Kanawa when the woman character has transformed into the demon Hashihime. Likely from the Showa period (perhaps the 61 on the mask refers to the year it was crafted but we are not sure either way), but possibly older. A rare and somewhat hard-to-find mask. Would be a great addition to any Japanese or Asian art/artifacts collection or an eye-catching stand-alone accent piece in about any setting. Mask dimensions: 8" high, 5.75" wide, 4.25" deep.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 8 in (20.32 cm)Width: 5.75 in (14.61 cm)Depth: 4.25 in (10.8 cm)
  • Style:
    Showa (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    Mid-20th Century
  • Condition:
    In very good vintage condition with no serious issues and light natural organic wear consistent with age and stage use (please see photos). A strange, oddly alluring, and engaging work overall.
  • Seller Location:
    Studio City, CA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2254340012922

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