Okina menpō

Mid-Edo Period (1615-1867) 

Embossed iron

Signed: "Gantetsu sei Morioka ju Shimizu bata Yoshiatsu saku kore"

巖鐡製 盛岡住 清水端吉敦作之

Extraordinary mask made of very thick and heavy iron, finely crafted and finished with a long moustache. 

The signature reads "Yoshiatsu, resident of Morioka, made this in steel for Shimizu." There are other known works by this blacksmith, who worked at the Morioka fief, ruled by the Nanbu family throughout the Edo period.

The mask may certainly fall within the ressei type, given the features that shape its "fierce" expression, but the presence of the long moustache may also indicate a reference to the figure of Okina and his venerable age.