"This Karasu Tengu holds the magic fan leaf waiting to fly and stands on a one toothed Geta (wooden sandal). Just concentrating to get the power to use the magic".
A unique and collectable netsuke by master carver Fumio Noguchi.
This exceptional work depicts Karasu Tengu - the crow spirit of Japanese folklore - hunched in anticipation, holding a fan leaf as he waits for its magic to stir and carry him skyward.
Carved from deer antler with terrific precision, this piece deserves prolonged study: the feathered texture, the hunched posture, the delicate fan leaf. A small hat carved from buffalo horn rests upon his head. Most striking are the eyes - each a different colour, inlaid from shell recovered from an antique Japanese hairpin. They lend the tengu an otherworldly, piercing gaze, and the reclaimed material adds quiet poetry: an old hairpin becomes new vision.
Karasu Tengu are enduring figures from Japanese yōkai tradition - mountain spirits associated with flight, magic, and the summoning of winds. Fumio captures their complexity wonderfully in this piece: mischievous but noble, a figure caught between the spiritual and real worlds.
Carved from dense deer antler, this piece is substantial in the hand but intimate in its scale - a sculpture that reveals itself slowly, detail by detail.
KARASU TENGU - a truly unique taonga for the discerning collector.
Take a close look at the photos, and the video to appreciate the detail of this piece.
KARASU TENGUis lovingly packaged in a woven kete pouch.
One only - Delivery with Express Courier is included in the price.
Artist: Fumio Noguchi
Material: Deer Antler, Buffalo Horn with Shell Eyes
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