A 3-D rebus; two or four babies?

One of our best pieces: a group of theatrical masks. 19th-century. I bought this one with my first unemployment benefits cheque. Andy Capp would be outraged.

A good one. Signed Kogyoku, 2nd grade. The editor of Arts of Asia said he thought it merited a 1st grade ranking. I think the carver was unhappy about the curvature of Benkei's naginata; you have to obey the medium when you sculpt in a more active material (Phil has it easy).
The subject is the meeting of Yoshitsune and Benkei in Kyoto, when the monk tried to mug the young hero but was disarmed with a whack of a fan, and was so impressed that he became Yoshitsune's faithful retainer.

Probably 19th century. Gama Sennin, the holy man with the toad. A popular, frequently humorous, subject carved unusually in walrus tusk, aka marine ivory.

Modern. Near the climax of the story of Kiyohime, a beautiful young woman who fell in love with a flirtatious monk at her father's inn, and pursued him until he took refuge under a temple bell. Another common version shows the ending, when her lust transformed her into a fiery dragon who roasted him in his hiding place. Be careful, gentlemen. Asian women are cute, but not to be trifled with.
The piece is signed on an inset ivory cartouche under the base.

Carved in vegetable ivory (a sort of hard nut). I'm surprised the material isn't more widely used; it's attractive and free of the animal rights concerns of ivory. PETA members might take comfort in knowing that Japanese ivory was usually obtained from mammoth remains in the heyday of netsuke carving.

This chap's name is Urashimi Taro. A sea princess invited him to her father's undersea palace, where he enjoyed a long and happy romance. When he became homesick, the Dragon King gave him a box with instructions to guard it with great care but never to open it. Of course, he yielded to temptation, and the long decades that he had lived as a young and healthy man as the princess' favourite came out of the box as a cloud of smoke, turning him into an old man in seconds.

Interestingly, in western cultures, where these days cats are worshipped and revered, it's an insult to call a woman a cat. In Japan, where cats usually feature as betrayers and destroyers, it's a compliment.
Souvenir piece, but a cute one.

Another low-price but satisfying little piece. Taro's father-in-law?

Two undistinguished pieces. The wooden one is a tengu bird-goblin hatching. They're worth making friends with; Yoshitsune learned his sword technique from them.

A kappa, a frequently malignant water spirit. An obviously mass-produced souvernir piece.

A rather good scrimshaw manju (rice cake) showing a saki vendor. The cord fastens to a stud at the back. The mask is Hanya, whose vanity at her own beauty led to her transformation as punishment by the gods with the same vindictiveness that marks the Olympians.

Not something I was aware of, before. 

Thanks for sharing the close-up photos and descriptions, it was hard to make them out in the initial photos. 

Indeed, Kitty, thanks for the tour of your collection. A bewildering variety of subjects and materials. I see why you are attracted to them. I particularly like the story-telling behind them.

It's hard to pick a favorite. I suspect it would vary depending on one's mood. For me, at the moment, it's the Gamma Sennin.

Thanks again for taking the time to do this presentation.

All collectors love a chance to show off their treasures.