This is a "Kintaro Riding a Bear" figure, a Nakayama clay doll from Akita folk art, dating back 20-30 years. The beautiful colors of Kintaro raising his axe and the bear, seemingly laughing with its mouth open, are wonderful. Nakayama dolls originated in the late Edo period when Noda U-kichi, a potter from the Nabeshima clan, was invited to the Nanbu clan. U-kichi left the Nanbu clan after the Tenpo famine, which led to the closure of kilns, and after wandering, he arrived in Yokote. He eventually moved to Nakayama, got married, and started making daily necessities, which is how Nakayama-yaki began. While firing tiles and bricks, Yoshi, as a side job, learned clay modeling from U-kichi and created Nakayama dolls based on local Ane-sama dolls and pressed pictures. Eventually, the types of dolls increased with Kabuki and local customs, and Nakayama dolls expanded their variety. New types have been added since then, and they continue to the present day. It will enhance your interior decor. ◯ Size (cm) Height 20, Width 17, Depth 12 Also on sale #Kevin'sRoom Antique vintage brocante Orne de Feuilles retro vintage antique lucky cat Maneki Neko Japan kutani imari Kutaniyaki figurines Feng Shui art and crafts antique art antiques Buddhist altar fittings National Treasure Kitaoji Rosanjin stage props antique art antique tools Buddhism Buddha Oriental art Amitabha Buddha tea ceremony utensils antique tools art gallery modernism modern art contemporary art African art art museum art art mid-century Japan Folk Crafts Museum folk crafts handmade folk art Cubism Asian goods Scandinavian goods Showa retro Taisho Meiji Edo romance dolls figurines Arabia Marimekko Alessi alvar aalto aino aalto Alvar SSKK Iittala bird Aalto Ilmari Tapiovaara Wegner Finn Juhl Gustavsberg Oiva Toikka Lisa Larson Lucie Rie Bernard Leach Kanjiro Kawai Bauhaus Sunkoro Ku Yanagi Soetsu Sori Yanagi Takashi Murakami Arita ware Kutani ware Ko-Imari Imari Yachimun Koishiwara ware Onta ware Mashiko ware Hagi ware Koransha Ko-Shigaraki Shigaraki ware Seto ware Bizen ware Mino ware Kiyomizu ware Kyo-yaki Fukagawa Seiji Seto novelty amabro tableware Holmstock Kensington Cat Noritake Royal Doulton J&G Meakin mid winter Royal Worcester Meissen