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Hananuma Masakichi (花沼 政吉, 1832-1895) was a Japanese sculptor specializing in "iki-ningyo" or lifelike dolls. A number of his works have survived in American and British collections, notably those of Ripley's Believe it or Not and the Sheffield Museum (the home town of the father of the Deakin Brothers of Yokohama, dealers in oriental art and curios in the 1890s). One such figure shows a naked Japanese man anatomically correct down to hairs inserted in his gofun skin, holding a small mask in his hand (i.e. a mask sculptor), about life-size. This was exhibited in San Francisco during about 1895-1906, and was depicted on a souvenir token from the Art Saloon, its owner at the time. It was reputed to be a self-portrait of the artist. Elaborations of the legend about this very lifelike image continued up through the time of the image's purchase by Ripley's in 1934,Robert Ripley would often put the statue in guest rooms at night in order to scare them.His house on B.I.O.N (Believe It Or Not) Island Had a slew of other strange collectibles including this. through its exhibit at the Chicago World's Fair in 1934, and into the present. The story below is a version of this romantic tale.
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1832
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| Died |
1895 (aged 62)
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