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 ?