Antique Japanese carved wooden Kyōgen theatre mask of Zo-onna (middle-aged woman). Still beautiful, she is more serious than her younger counterparts. Her face is longer and narrower and she does not smile but her mouth is open, showing both rows of perfect teeth. Beautifully carved of hinoki (Japanese cypress) wood, signed on the inside.

The characters of the signature read 工藤則朝作 (作, saku, here means "work of _" / "made by _", and the name is 工藤則朝). 工藤 is the surname Kudō (or Kutō). 則朝 could potentially be read in several different ways: Noritomo, but other possibilities include Tsunetomo and Tokitomo.

Meiji Period (1868-1912)

Dimensions: 8" high x 5" wide x 2 1/2" deep