The Kura
sold, thank you
sold, thank you
An exquisite image of an emaciated man, the prominent bones about the eyes softly glowing pale white over the hollow cheeks. The mask is of the Yase-otoko type, and is signed on the back by the maker Iwasaki Hisahito in a carved seal above the eye. Superb craftsmanship!
Iwasaki Hisahito is a well known Mask carver currently 78 years old and still going. He was born in Oita prefecture, but moved to Nagoya then Yokohama at a youthful age. All processes are done by hand, from carving the wood and creating the shape, applying the gofun coating and drawing the hair with a brush then applying lacquer. “What I rely on is the memory of seeing many performances and the feeling of being struck by the many faces." He has created about 500 masks over his more than fifty year career. Having studied under a Noh actor himself, he has tried to create something that makes him think, ``I want to dance in this aspect,'' but no matter how much I try, I am never satisfied. "The more I do it, the more difficult it is. I want to make something that I don't want to give to anyone, even if it's just one aspect of my life."
Iwasaki Hisahito is a well known Mask carver currently 78 years old and still going. He was born in Oita prefecture, but moved to Nagoya then Yokohama at a youthful age. All processes are done by hand, from carving the wood and creating the shape, applying the gofun coating and drawing the hair with a brush then applying lacquer. “What I rely on is the memory of seeing many performances and the feeling of being struck by the many faces." He has created about 500 masks over his more than fifty year career. Having studied under a Noh actor himself, he has tried to create something that makes him think, ``I want to dance in this aspect,'' but no matter how much I try, I am never satisfied. "The more I do it, the more difficult it is. I want to make something that I don't want to give to anyone, even if it's just one aspect of my life."