Features
■ A Representative Work of Shōwa Avant-Garde Art
The later Shōwa period was an important time when modern Japanese art flourished in many directions.
Many artists began to step outside the frame of traditional craft, bringing together:
Japanese yōkai culture
folk belief
Surrealist art
modern sculpture
in their work.
This piece shows the free artistic spirit of the Shōwa era: not a standardised craft product but a sculpture with a strong individual character.
■ A Singular Form Combining Yōkai and Ghost Imagery
The most compelling thing about the piece is its mysterious, hard-to-classify form.
The square, mask-like head recalls:
Japanese yōkai
Noh masks
folk ghosts and deities
spirits of local legend
while the body extending backwards has the floating, flowing quality of a ghost.
This manner of expression, between the real and the imagined, is one of the most appealing features of Japanese grotesque art.
■ Iron Throughout; a Magnet Sticks to It
Testing shows a magnet adheres over the whole piece.
This indicates the body is made of iron rather than the usual plaster or resin reproduction.
Iron sculpture offers:
good preservation
high durability
stability as a collectable
and oxidation over the years that adds character
Over time the oxidation that forms naturally on the surface becomes part of the appeal of a vintage piece.
■ A Popular Subject in the Grotesque Art Market
Japanese grotesque culture has gradually drawn the attention of international collectors in recent years.
From:
the yōkai world of Mizuki Shigeru
the Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) subject
regional Japanese yōkai
Shōwa grotesque art
all have become important fields for collectors to pursue.
This piece is at once a work of yōkai culture and an art sculpture, which makes it highly recognisable on the market.
All dimensions are measured by hand and may vary by ±1 cm.
Because of differences in computer displays, the item may differ somewhat from the photographs, for example in colour and tone. In addition, every item in our shop is an antique or vintage piece; being old, such pieces will inevitably carry traces of history or of use. To avoid unnecessary disputes, please buy only if you do not mind this. If you are a perfectionist, please do not place an order. (Auction notes) (Please also read the shopping notes in full.)