Japanese Folk Art Sasano Ittobori Hawk Carving

C-18774 Hand-carved wooden hawk sculpture executed in the traditional Sasano Ittobori (one-knife carving) technique, commonly known as "Otaka Poppo." The figure is carved from a single block of wood using faceted, deliberate knife cuts, with stylized wings rendered in layered curls and a sharply simplified body rising from a cylindrical base. Painted details on the head and talons accentuate the form while allowing the tool marks and grain of the wood to remain visually prominent. An ink inscription to the side of the base identifies the piece within the Sasano carving tradition. Sasano Ittobori originated in the Yamagata region of northern Japan and is closely associated with hawk imagery, which symbolizes strength, vigilance, and perseverance. These carvings were traditionally made as ...