By Deme Joman, signed Deme Joman 出目上滿
Japan, Edo (Tokyo), c. 1700, Edo period (1615-1868)

Published:
Bushell, Raymond (1961) The Netsuke Handbook by Ueda Reikichi, p. 45, fig. 41.
Bushell, Raymond (1985) Netsuke Masks, no. 112.

Expressively carved from wood depicting Kumasaka, pierced himotoshi underneath the thick bar in the back which shows the boldly incised signature DEME JOMAN.

While being a fine and typical example of a Noh mask netsuke by the famous Deme family, this piece particularly stands out due to its interesting and highly important history. This mask netsuke was presented as a gift to F. M. Jonas, the author of the first book in English on the subject of netsuke, originally published in 1928. As Ueda Reikichi states in her book Netsuke no Kenkyu, Mr. Jonas wrote as follows when he in turn gave the netsuke to the adaptor of this book (Raymond Bushell) in Kobe, Japan, during the early months of 1946: “The netsuke (wooden mask bearing the name of Deme Joman) had been the property of the Taira Inaba Mono no Kami Masanori, the lord of the feudal castle of Odawara in Sagami County, who died on the 13^th day of the 9^th month, 13^th year of Genroku (1700) and a part of whose remains were buried at the cemetery within the compound of the temple Kofuku-ji, Gyoto-san, Mukojima, Edo (Tokyo). In July, 2^nd year of Showa (1927), the cemetery was removed due to a town planning extension scheme and the grave opened. Several articles of interest were recovered and among them was found the above netsuke, which was presented to F. M. Jonas through the courtesy of Viscount Inaba, his [Masanori’s] direct descendant. The authenticity of the article and the date of the period of the carver can thus be verified.”

This effectively makes the present piece the earliest recorded netsuke and the only one discovered inside a grave, perhaps hinting at a common practice during the Edo period. Another interesting aspect of this piece is the peculiar patina which has resulted from it being submerged for such a long time.

The Deme family was a famous family of mask carvers from the 10^th century onwards. Ueda Reikichi states that Deme Eiman (died in 1705) was the originator of the mask netsuke. Deme Joman was a younger brother of Deme Juman, who was the son of Deme Eiman.

The Kumasaka mask with humorous-looking round eyeballs is exclusively used for the Noh plays Kumasaka and Eboshiori. Both appear on the stage as a robber named Kumasaka Chohan, who is subdued by Ushiwakamaru (a famous warrior, later Minamoto no Yoshitsune).

HEIGHT 4.3 cm

Condition: Good undamaged condition, some rubbing and wear.
Provenance: Ex-collections F. M. Jonas and Raymond Bushell. Then European private collection P. Jacquesson acquired at Sotheby’s, 21 March 2001, New York.