Please help identify a Noh Mask

I inherited several items from my grandmother which she got in Okinawa , Japan in the early fifties. My grandfather was an army officer working on reconstruction there, and some of these items were presented to him, while others were purchased.

I have no idea of the worth of these items or their authenticity (they're old, but I'm not sure how old). I was hoping anyone with an interest in Japanese art would take a look and give a quick assessment.

My favorite item is a mask meant for wall display, which my grandmother told me was a female (?) demon named "Hanya". There are two Japanese characters on the back which I think are the maker's mark.

I also have a strange silver mallet which I know nothing about; my family can't recall the name for it, but says it brings wealth and is associated with Shinto . I have included a picture in case anyone can identify it.

I have no pictures, but I also received a wooden samurai about a foot tall in a glass case. He has very ornate clothes and a miniature sword and scroll, and what looks like real hair. He has a friend who is about the size of an action figure and is made of (I think) porcelain. This samurai has a white mask and a large hat, and carries a sword as well. His clothes are golden and white and make him very wide, even in comparison to his taller companion. He has no case. Should I put pictures of these guys up for identification, or are they common touristy gifts?

Thank you for all your help.


Thanks to anyone who helps out.

Hannya - Wikipedia

It's not too likely that there are experts here who can tell you more than a
Google search about those items, but if we had a photo of the written characters, we could most likely identify them.

Thank you

Thanks, it's good to know who I'm looking at. Looking around from that Wiki page I found lots of stuff about her, including t-shirts, plays, etc.

Since you mentioned that someone here might be able to translate, I'm posting a picture of the two characters. I've drawn it with marker on white paper because the original mark is very faint and I couldn't get a clear picture. I hope I've rendered it at least partly legible. Thank you again for your help.

The mallet is called 打ち出の小槌(uchide no kozuchi), I can't estimate the worth of it, though.

Uchide no kozuchi - Wikipedia


The second kanji you wrote seems like 尚, but I can't recognize the first one.

高 or 長 or 商 ?