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Noh Mask Kozuka..?


Barrie B

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Hi Dale,

 

LOL.. My interest is because I own this handsome 'Merchant' Koshirae (for lack of a better description) that has similar themed Menuki.. Bit of an unusual theme for a Samurai, I would have thought..? I think it was made very late Edo, when merchants and artists had money? Perhaps I should research the Kozuka artist to put an approximate date to the Kozuka, to support this theory.. I assume it was made for, and owned by a Kabuki artist..? Any other theories?

 

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Barrie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I have had a look around and whereas there are plenty of tsuba with noh masks, other fittings are in short supply - makes it difficult to gauge age when there is so little to judge by. 

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/8005-jp-samurai-sword-noh-mask-takasago-menuki

https://www.catawiki.com/l/43615829-Japanese-sign-higonokami-fujiwarateruhiro-saku-kogatana-hand-fan-hanya-mask-motif-iron-copper-Japan-edo-period-1600-1868

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Kozuka-Japan-Samurai-Hannya-mask-inlay-shakudo-sword-fitting-katana-tsuba-w-box-/183876758513

none of these are very close to your piece but you might get some clues?

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These are my masks - Sorry don't know anything about them apart from what they are

These are rushed images and the colour is way of for the first image

 

1947731971_Koshi(1).thumb.JPG.1a3695d1dbba09521b15f75f0c923ca5.JPG

 

121820691_Koshi(3).thumb.JPG.38843e4a4bebea5fb768bea01a5b270c.JPG

 

1297682969_Koshi(4).thumb.JPG.92d184c0b01d933d9a1697503803c56b.JPG

 

1769049900_Koshi(2).JPG.bf984419f73dd89322fc3c3f3058d57e.JPG

Edited by kissakai
Added extra info
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Dear @Barrie B,

 

The masks on your sword are Okame (also called Otafuku/Ofuku/Uzume) and Hyottoko (“fire man”).  They are usually considered a pair (and have been for hundreds of years).  Some traditions call them husband and wife.  Together they symbolize good luck and jolliness.  Okame is also known as the Moon Goddess who played a very important role in getting the Sun Goddess (Amaterasu) to come out of her cave and give light to the World (part of the legends of the founding of Japan).  She did a bawdy dance dropping her clothes and making all the other gods laugh, so Amaterasu (the Sun Goddess) came out of her cave to see what was happening.  Believe it or not, Okame was originally considered the epitome of Japanese beauty (evidentially Dale @Spartancrest doesn’t care for the ancient beauty standards in Japan… personally I'm with Dale...)  Today they are very common masks that are used in lots of festivals in Japan.  As I’ve said before, while this is a wakazashi, it is not necessarily a “merchant sword” (working hard to get rid of that old and misinformed stereotype…)  Okame derived from Noh plays which were written by and performed for the aristocracy (Samurai, NOT merchants).  While she has evolved into a more common figure, Okame’s origins were  in the Bushi class.

 

Grev @kissakai, yours is fascinating because it shows a man stuck between the two, diametrically opposed versions of a woman.  Your menuki are Okame and Hannya.  Okame is considered the perfect Wife (ever cheerful and supportive) whereas Hannya (on the opposite side) is considered the ultimate jealous woman.  In one of the Okame legends, she was supposedly based on a real Wife who gave her own life in support of her husband.  Hannya on the other hand became so jealous that she was transformed into a horned devil with a serpent’s body that became so hot that she burned her lover to death in jealousy.  Your sword must have been designed by Freud, because your kashira is Hyottoko (the Husband) caught between these two extremes!

Okame.jpg

 

Okame1.JPG

Husband.JPGHannya.JPG

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2 hours ago, Tanto54 said:

 Okame was originally considered the epitome of Japanese beauty (evidentially Dale @Spartancrest doesn’t care for the ancient beauty standards in Japan… personally I'm with Dale...)

 

I had wondered about that, given that Akita women were considered highly desirable for their "moon faces".

I pondered whether this was an East vs West thing with shape, or whether a more direct issue about pale complexion.

From a query into old postcards, I had thought it more a complexion issue  alla, " white skin covers the seven flaws [iro no shiroi wa shichinan kakusu]" quote.

 

 

 

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George (et al),

 

Thanks for sharing your knowledge to broaden mine. And thanks to everyone else for sharing their items to increasing my limited understanding on the use of this theme.. Not as rare as I first thought. I never once imagined this O Tanto/ Ko Wakizashi might have actually been owned by a Bushi, and not by a Kabuki actor..

 

Thanks again.

 

Baz.

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I will just throw my one and only Okina mask tanto tsuba in, it is not that different to Tom's example except the mask and fan are on the one side with a flute on the ura - mine is not signed so impossible to attribute. I think we are all learning a great deal from this thread, great insight from George.:thumbsup: Baz, by trying to find something about your pieces we have all gained, thanks very much.:thumbsup:

 

my mask and fan.jpg

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Ah yes this also has an Okina (old man) mask theme. I believe it is one of the oldest of the Noh repertoire and represents an older male with long white beard expressing wisdom and bringing longevity to families. The rounded eyebrows and the separated lower jaw makes it different from the other masks, the chin is attached to the main mask by a cord (which you can see nicely in the attached picture). Okina masks have an abstract pattern of the deeply carved wrinkles around the forehead and cheeks and the formation of the eyes is in open slits, rather than sculpted eyeballs with a hole for the pupil.

 

I'm also enjoying and learning a lot from this thread, thanks for everyone who has shared something!

 

Tom

Close up.jpg

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This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one, unless your post is really relevant and adds to the topic..

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