East Asia, Japan, Showa Period, mid-20th century CE. A hand-made lacquered wood and vegetal fiber noh theater mask of the old man from the "Okina" ritual performance. His expressive countenance displays smiling, wrinkled eyes beneath a deeply furrowed brow, a broad nose, and sagging cheeks. The eyebrows, mustache and beard are made from tassels of white fibers. The Okina mask is a symbol of wisdom and longevity, and cord on the verso allows the visage to be strapped to the head of the wearer. Size: 8" L x 6" W (20.3 cm x 15.2 cm)This mask is worn by the title role in the Noh play "Okina," which is one of the oldest pieces in the Noh repertoire. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Among all Noh masks, the Okina (old man) mask is considered particularly sacred and has been at times treated as the embodiment of god, bringing longevity and prosperity to families." Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010 All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping. #173650