Ko Omote Mask Noh Yoshitaka Toshibana Mask

this is a noh ko omote theater mask ,the girl who is not 20 years old
Ko omote is the emblematic noh mask with Hannya; it represents the girl who is not 20 years old with plump cheeks and a youthful appearance Youth, freshness and even naivety are her main marks of expression, we can detect a touch of irony, perhaps even malice in the smile of the young girl. The repertoire in which this Ko Omote mask is played is very extensive. Donald Keen tells us in his studies that it is used by the Komparu and Kita families. The Komparu actors prefer the Ko Omote mask in all the female masks. They love it and favor its use because of its innocence
It carries the cartridge on the back of the sculptor Tashibana Yoshitaka saku, (or Houidaka) a recognized artist at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, therefore Taisho era
The mask has its box (where it is written "small face" and its fabric envelope

Tashibana Yoshitaka
Little is known about his life
He was considered a living national treasure and was exhibited at the Fukuoka Museum
Often considered an artist of the Edo period, 18th century like the hannya mask exhibited in 3 successive museums which confirmed this date, published in the book Cedric le dauphin » les noh masks de la collection the bernard le dauphin collection 2020 p 68,69,70
Stephen Marvin author of « heaven has a face so does hell « the bible of the Noh mask comments on this sculptor in a series of email exchanges:

The only mention of Houhikidaka in English is in my book on pages 354 - 355. I have found very little about him in Japanese. The only published work in Japan with information about him is an exhibition catalogue produced by the the Fukuoka Municipal Museum, which shows a Kyougen mask with its cartouche. The brief text accompanying the photograph states he lived in Kyoto and was a contemporary of the modern mask carver Nakamura Naohiko (born 1877, died 1945). Based on this information, Houhidaka would have active as a mask carver during the late 19th century or early 20th century (Meiji - Showa periods).

. The problem probably began with confusion. In the 19th century, a mask carver called Houhidaka Ryoushuu probably worked for the Ii daimyou, copying masks made by famous artists. I have only seen one mask made by him, and the style is different from the modern Houhidaka, whose name is Tachibana. Perhaps, the modern artist is a descendant of Ryoushuu Houhidaka, but I cannot confirm it.


A mask of ko omote (small face of a young girl by the same sculptor was sold at Christies in 2005

Noh mask of Ko-omote (Small face)
TAISHO PERIOD (EARLY 20TH CENTURY), BURNED SEAL TACHIBANA YOSHITAKA SAKU
Price realized USD 2,280
Estimate
USD 1,000 – USD 1,500
Closed: 29 Mar 2005