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Collector’s Guide Vol. 6: Carved Guardian Masks, Daruma & Netsuke, Shugendō Horagai, and Indigo Shibori
Collector’s Guide, Volume 6 | Sabiru Treasures — Tsukuba, Japan
Beyond ceramics and cast bronze, Japanese devotional carving, scholar’s implements, and resist-dyed textiles each preserve tangible evidence of the maker’s hand. Chisel facets inside the back of a wooden guardian mask, the natural growth rings of a boxwood netsuke, the braided cord cradling a mountain ascetic’s conch trumpet (horagai), and the puckered ridges of hand-bound indigo shibori cotton all reward close physical inspection.
In this sixth volume of the Sabiru Treasures Collector’s Guide, we examine eight currently offered works spanning Buddhist and Shugendō iconography, miniature carving, portable writing instruments, and indigo textile craft.
1. Carved Wooden Guardian Masks and Zen Iconography: Shukongōjin, Niō (Agyō), and Daruma
Temple guardians in Japanese Buddhist sculpture express protective resolve through dramatic facial musculature, flaring brows, and open-mouthed (Agyō) resonance. In domestic and studio woodcarving, these classic prototypes—such as the revered 8th-century Shukongōjin at Tōdai-ji’s Hokkedō in Nara—inspire both polychrome wall masks and compact devotional figures of Bodhidharma (Daruma).
Shukongōjin Guardian Mask after the Tōdai-ji Hokkedō Statue — Red & Black Wood: Expressive carved wooden mask echoing the fierce protective countenance of Tōdai-ji’s Hokkedō guardian, finished in layered red and black pigment. View Lot 107777744 on Catawiki ↗
Japanese Carved Wooden Niō Guardian Mask (Agyō): Boldly modelled temple guardian face with pronounced brow ridges and open-mouthed Agyō expression, showing clear chisel work on the reverse. View Lot 107632596 on Catawiki ↗
Carved Wood Daruma (Bodhidharma) Figure, Inscribed (16.8 cm): Compact solid-wood carving of the Zen patriarch wrapped in his robe, with an incised inscription on the base. View Lot 107654020 on Catawiki ↗
2. Miniature Carving and Portable Scholar’s Implements: Boxwood Netsuke and Yatate
During the Edo and Meiji periods, personal accessories carried at the sash (obi) combined utility with miniature sculpture. Boxwood (tsuge) was favoured for netsuke because its dense, fine grain holds crisp detail without splintering, while the yatate united a hinged inkpad compartment (sumitsubo) and brush tube into a self-contained travelling writing set.
Hand-Carved Boxwood Oni Mask Netsuke: Fine-grained boxwood carving of a horned oni mask with expressive eyes and cord attachment openings (himotōshi) on the reverse. View Lot 107280111 on Catawiki ↗
Japanese Antique-Style Yatate — Portable Writing Instrument with Hotei and Dragon: Metal yatate featuring relief decoration of the auspicious deity Hotei and a coiling dragon along the inkwell and brush shaft. View Lot 107093672 on Catawiki ↗
3. Shugendō Ritual Sound, Architectural Relief, and Indigo Shibori Textile Craft
Sacred mountain practice, commemorative temple architecture, and traditional Japanese doorway textiles each rely on distinct material techniques:
Japanese Horagai Conch Shell Trumpet — Shugendō Yamabushi Ritual Instrument: Natural Charonia tritonis shell fitted with a metal mouthpiece and woven carrying cord (ami), used by mountain ascetics (yamabushi) in Shugendō practice. View Lot 107777685 on Catawiki ↗
Taisekiji Shō-Hondō and Mount Fuji Commemorative Relief Plaque: Gold-tone relief plaque depicting the sweeping roof of the Shō-Hondō against Mount Fuji, framed for display. View Lot 107790558 on Catawiki ↗
Indigo Shibori Noren Curtain — Three-Tone Blue Cotton with Tie-Dyed Morning Glories: Traditional split doorway curtain (noren) dyed in three graduated shades of indigo cotton using stitched and bound shibori resist to form blooming morning glories (asagao). View Lot 107761998 on Catawiki ↗
4. Explore Active Listings & Archive
Explore our Past Treasures Archive, reach out through Collector’s Inquiry, or view all active auctions on Sabiru Treasures on Catawiki.
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