An ornate porcelain image of a horse draped in full regalia by Miyanaga Tozan I enclosed in the original signed wooden box titled Souma (Swift Horse). The detail about the head is fabulous, and the artist has done an excellent job capturing the musculature of the creature while allowing something ethereal. In Japan horses (and cows and foxes and deer and lots of other creatures) are often enshrined as messengers or embodiments of the gods in Shinto. This is 21 x 9 x 24 cm (8-1/2 x 3-1/2 x 9-1/2 inches) tall and in excellent condition.
Miyanaga Tozan I (1868-1941) is one of the most important names in Kyoto ceramics. He was born in Ishikawa prefecture, and graduated from the (now) Tokyo University of Art. While a government employee, he represented Japan at Arts Expositions, and studied art in Europe before returning to Japan in 1902 to devote himself to the production of ceramics, with great emphasis on celadon, one of the most difficult of all ceramic wares. He was direct teacher or mentor to a number of prominent artists including Kitaoji Rosanjin and Arakawa Toyozo.
