A bunraku puppet head of a fierce samurai warrior by the most famous of all the Bunraku carvers, Yoshioka Tenguhisa, featuring his innovative glass eyes and bearing the artists brand on both the handle and the stump of the neck. Full size, it is 40 cm (16 inches) from top knot to base of the handle, the head itself roughly 11 x 13 x 15 cm (4-1/2 x 5-1/4 x 6 inches) excluding hair and neck. It is in overall excellent condition.
Yoshioka Hisakichi (Tenguhisa I, 1858-1943) was born the third son of Kasai Iwazo in Awa Province (now Tokushima City). At the age of 16, he became an apprentice to doll maker Wakamatsuya Tomigoro. He was later adopted by the Yoshioka family of Wada Village and established himself independently under the shop name "Tenguya." He innovated by introducing glass eyes for dolls and promoting larger doll heads. His persona and life are vividly portrayed in the novel Ningyoshi Tenguya Hisakichi by Chiyo Uno, based on his own accounts. Over 40 of his works have been designated as cultural assets of Tokushima Prefecture. Tenguhisa II (Yoshioka Kaname, 1880-1915) became the adopted son of Hisakichi's eldest daughter, Shigeru, and succeeded as the second-generation Tenguya, taking the name "Tengu Kaname." Most of his works were created in collaboration with his adoptive father, Hisakichi, leaving few creations solely attributed to him. Kaname passed away in July 1915 at the young age of 36. The third Generation (Yoshioka Hajime, 1911-1978) was born as the second son of the previous Tenguya, Hajime also went by the name "Tengu Hajime." He studied under the first-generation Hisakichi from a young age.
