A fine lacquer decorated carved boxwood netsuke of a Noh dancer in a Hannya role, unsigned, Meiji period, late 19th century, Japan.
The boxwood netsuke finely carved as a kneeling Noh dancer dressed in striking geometric patterned robes. The actor holds an opened war fan behind their back in one hand, a Shinto wand slung over the shoulder in the other.
The war fan, tessen, decorated in red lacquer with a golden rising sun at the center. Tessen were sturdy fans used by samurai as protective devices, and sometimes as weapons.
The wand, called an onusa, is a traditional Shinto ritual implement comprised of folded paper streamers, shide, attached to a wooden wand, often used in purification rituals. Here, the shide are crafted from silver maki-e, with the handle of the natural boxwood.
The actor wears a fierce and unearthly hannya mask...
Category
1890s Japanese Meiji Antique Austin
MaterialsBoxwood, Lacquer