Vintage Japanese Small Carved Nio Mask sculpture

A small and unusual carved mask resembling a Nio or temple guardian face. Nio guardians are often seen at the entrances to temples, they are strong and fierce, placed at temple entrances to scare off bad spirits. The carving style to me looks more like Pacific Islander or African carving, its possible the carver was influenced by these styles. A small and decorative piece, it doesn't have the ability to hang currently, but a hook could be added to the back. Measures 18cm long x 9cm wide