Ressei menpō, Myōchin school samurai iron mask

Samurai armor’s mask with fierce expression

Mid Edo period, 18^th century

This unusual me-no-shita type (half face, literally “under the eyes”) samurai mask features a fine hammered surface that is embossed to create lengthy, deep, and sharp wrinkles across the entire face. The nose is rather large, and the chin is massive, as is typical of menpo mad by Myōchin armorers.

The interior’s gold lacquer indicates an important provenance.