JAPAN
OTHER CELEBRATED MASK-CARVERS
- Izeki Kawachi Iyeshige—seventeenth century (d. 1646).
- Yamato Mamori (a pupil of Kawachi).
- Izeki Jirozaemon—eighteenth century. Had the rank of Kazusa-no-suke and was also called Chikanobu and Kiushiu. He was accorded the honorary title of Tenka-ichi.
- Omiva Yamato Bokunyu—seventeenth century (d. 1672). Had the honorary title of Tenka-icbi.
- Kodama Omi Mitsumasa—seventeenth century (d. 1624). Had the title of Tenka-ichi and was called also Manshō.
- Miyata Chikugo (a pupil of Manshō).
- Kodama Choyemon Tomomitsu—seventeenth century (son of Omi).
- Kodama Choyemon Yoshimitsu—eighteenth century.
- Senshu Yashamaru—fifteenth century. Had the rank of Tama-no-Kami and the additional name of Yorisada.
- Senshiu Yoriyoshi—fifteenth century. Had the rank of Iyo-no-Kami. This artist was the younger brother of the priest Sanko, mentioned above. The two Senshiu were the ancestors of the Deme family of Echizen.
- Ariyoshi Nagato nō Sbo—nineteenth century. A samurai of the Miyatsu fief, who attained distinction as a chiseller of masks.
Several amateurs gained distinction as carvers of masks, but no accurate list of their names has been preserved.
Belonging strictly to the category of costume, but elevated to the rank of art-products by the beauty of their workmanship and the wealth of fancy lavished on their modelling and ornamentation, the netsuke, ojime, kagami-buta, kana-mono, and kuda-kusari must be accorded a high place in any account of Japanese sculpture. The dress of the Japanese having no pockets, except the recesses of the sleeves, which could not be used for anything heavy, it has been the
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