TAMETAKA: A SUPERB WOOD MASK NETSUKE OF A SHISHIBy Tametaka, signed Tametaka 爲隆 with kakihan Japan, Nagoya, late 18th century, Edo period (1615-1868)Published: Sydney L. Moss Ltd. (2004) Outside the Box: Further Explorations in Japanese Netsuke and Lacquer, 2004, p. 34-35, no. 13.Superbly carved, the scowling face with a hinged jaw opening to reveal the tongue and sharp teeth, the eyes with pupils inlaid in dark horn below furrowed brows, the broad nose with deeply hollowed nostrils, the neatly incised mane falling in heavy curls over the back of the head, the chin beard similarly carved, the forehead with eleven distinct star-shaped whorl designs, the underside with three square apertures, presumably a feature of the temple sculpture from which this netsuke is derived, forming the cord attachment behind the signature TAMETAKA with a kakihan.LENGTH 4.2 cmCondition: Very good condition with minor wear, few tiny nicks to the back, the underside with few microscopic chips near the hinge.Provenance: Max Rutherston, London, 2004. European collection P. Jacquesson, acquired from the above.The Shishi mask originated in the rites of exorcism of Japanese protohistory. The original Japanese mask was absorbed into dance and drama in the seventh and eighth centuries when Gigaku and Bugaku were introduced from the Asian mainland. Unlike most masks, Shishi masks enjoyed an unrestricted and natural development, free of the shackles imposed by the prototypes. The shishi masked dance (shishimai) is performed to ward off disease and calamity. It originated as a religious ceremony but the excitement of the dance, the music, and the rhythms increased over the centuries, so that over time it was performed for entertainment rather than ritualistic purposes.Tametaka is the earliest recorded netsuke artist from Nagoya and is listed in the Soken Kisho, the first publication on netsuke published in 1781. He is credited with the invention of the relief-carving technique (ukibori) associated with the Nagoya school.Literature comparison:Shishi are a popular subject of Tametaka, mask netsuke by this carver are however extremely rare. A wood mask netsuke of an oni, also with a movable jaw, is recorded in Joly, Henri L. (1966) The W. L. Behrens Collection, Part 1, Netsuke, no. 88, however is unillustrated. Another wood mask netsuke by Tametaka, depicting Buaku, is illustrated in Meinertzhagen, Frederick / Lazarnick, George (1986) MCI, Part B, p. 857.