Somen Tengu In Wrought Iron By Fukutake Ichiro (1928-2002).

FUKUTAKE ICHIRO (1928-2002). Somen Tengu in red iron hammered from a single sheet, the nose, upper lip and ears made separately and riveted to the face. Sweat hole under the chin in the shape of a heart or boar's iris. Signed Ryu under the chin. The interior is red lacquered (very slightly missing). Dimensions: 22 x 19.5 x 17 cm. Sold with the base. Dimensions with the base: 39 x 19.5 x 17 cm. Notes: This full face Japanese mask was made by the late master Fukutake Ichiro (1928-2002). Ichiro signed his masks with a Ryu character, which is rare to find, as his signatures are often worn or erased to disguise their true age and be sold as older objects. Ichiro is recognized as the most talented of the Gendai smiths in the art of embossing. His works are of such high quality that many of his masks are now part of museum collections around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum in New York. They have been sold at auction at major auction houses. Ichiro lived and worked in the Kurashiki district of Okayama between the 1950s and 1970s. He was one of the last true makers of traditional armor in Japan. His somen are inspired by the work of Myochin. His face masks are works of art, equal to, or even superior to, certain models from the Edo period.