Japanese Hand-painted Porcelain Daruma Figure woman on horseback Though I am not entirely

Though I am not entirely certain what that might be

It measures 5 1/4" in diameter and 2 1/4" tall

and I believe it dates from the early 20th century when it would have been used as a festival dance mask

is in fact packed in pretty tightly and not really threatening to come apart

but with lots of room inside it would be handy for keeping all sorts of things

Japanese Hand-painted Porcelain Daruma Figure woman on horseback Though I am not entirelyThis curious character is an antique Japanese porcelain Daruma figure. There are a wide array of Daruma out there, modeled after Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, and typically depicted as a red robed bearded man, as he is here. This is about my favorite example of all I've seen, with a wonderfully expressive face, wide nose, and painted eyes directed skyward, plus he has these finely and emphatically painted eyebrows, beard and chest hair.