Interesting masu box with Noh masks signed Gyokuzan

[miura_anjin]

Hi I recently went to London for some gift shopping and while I was there I stopped by a few antique shops and picked up this interesting masu box.

I've never seen one with metalwork like this, it looks like copper and silver. It is decorated with noh masks and some kind of book(?)

I tried tracking down Gyokuzan but there appears to be serveral artists in different fields with that name and I've had no luck in finding a match so far.

It looks maybe late Edo IMO, what do people think?

Any comments/help with the artist are greatly appreciated.

 

Many thanks,

 

Andy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bugyotsuji]

Andy, what a fun object. The book looks like it has a title. Can you get a shot if there is there is any writing there?

 

You could try Kagamibuta Netsuke artists as they were metalsmiths too.

[John A Stuart]

Closest I could find is this artist. Maybe a familial connection.

 

 

GYOKKO-01

 

 

Period

 

MID 19

 

 

O.Names

 

OR: GYOKKOSAI

 

 

School

 

EDO(TOKYO)

 

 

Specialist

 

WOOD

 

 

Koop etc.

 

K191/K229

 

 

Signed

 

 

 

 

Illustrated

 

 

 

 

Style

 

MASK NETSUKE

 

 

Category

 

MASKS

 

 

 

Where

 

KLEFISCH,1984/11/30-851

 

 

Reference

 

ND-0382 / UR-0134

 

 

CM

 

5.8

 

 

 

 

Material I-III

 

 

 

 

WOOD

 

 

 

MOKU

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Subject I-IV

 

 

 

 

JA

 

 

 

HORNED FEMALE DEMON IN THE NOH

[Eric H]

A lucky find...depicting the masks of Okame, Hannya and ?...the signature is close to Gyokuzan I believe.

 

Gyokko and Gyokuzan were Netsuke carvers of the late Edo period but I doubt that one of them is the maker of this attractive box.

 

Eric

[CurtisR]

That's a beauty!

 

Curtis

[miura_anjin]

Thanks for your replies everyone,

There's nothing written on the silver inlay unfortunately.

I believe the other figure is usobuki/hyottoko that along with okame are used in Kyogen theatre often used as comic interludes during a Noh play.

 

However they also seem to be used in the context of the Setsubun ritual (which was a few days ago incidentally) which could possibly make this a "fuku masu" (good luck box) that contained dried soy beans that people or children wearing okame and sometimes hyottoko or other masks would throw at someone playing an Oni to drive them out of the house/temple etc.

 

 

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/379029562_b31b2f93d0.jpg

 

What do you think?

 

Andy

[Mark Andrews]

Hi Andy, a great find and a lovely small box.I like the simplicity of the construction + peg work and the ornamentation as well.Thanks for the great pics !

 

Regards,

 

Mark.