HIDARI ISSAN: A RARE WOOD MASK NETSUKE OF SOJOBO, THE TENGU KING OF MOUNT KURAMABy Hidari Issan (1804-1857), signed Hidari Issan 左一山 with kakihanJapan, Iwashiro, c. 1840, Edo period (1615-1868)A well-sized wood netsuke, boldly carved as the Tengu King wearing the characteristic tokin cap of the yamabushi, his face with a stern expression, his bulging eyes with round gilt-ringed pupils, his prominent nose with recessed nostrils, flanked by strong cheeks, his long beard neatly incised and curling back to the reverse below the broad himotoshi bar signed HIDARI ISSAN with a kakihan based on the character Toku 篤. The well-toned wood bearing a fine, dark patina.HEIGHT 4.6 cm, LENGTH 4 cmCondition: Good condition with some wear, few light scratches, one larger scratch to the back of the himotoshi bar.Provenance: Ex-collection Dr. Walter Heihs. Sotheby’s, 17 June 1998, London, lot 712. European collection P. Jacquesson, acquired from the above.Sojobo is the mythical king and god of the tengu. He has the appearance of a yamabushi and is often depicted wearing their tokin cap. The other distinctive physical characteristics of Sojobo include his long, white hair and unnaturally long nose. Sojobo is said to live on Mount Kurama. He rules over the other tengu that inhabit Mount Kurama in addition to all the other tengu in Japan. He is extremely powerful, and one legend says he has the strength of 1,000 normal tengu. He is perhaps best known for the legend of his teaching the warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune (then known by his childhood name Ushiwaka-maru or Shanao) the arts of swordsmanship, tactics, and magic.Literature comparison:Mask netsuke by Hidari Issan are rare with only very few examples recorded. A mask netsuke of Okame bearing a similar kakihan is illustrated in Lazarnick, George (1981) Netsuke & Inro Artists, and How to Read Their Signatures (LNIA), Vol. 1, p. 519. Another mask netsuke depicting a comical mask of Emi-men is illustrated in Davey, Neil K. / Tripp, Susan G. (1993) The Garrett Collection, p. 293, no. 426.