Toy Bull

"Toy Bull" depicts one of Japan's charming regional folk craft traditions: the painted wooden or papier-mâché bull figure produced as a folk toy and good luck object in various regions across the country. Often brightly decorated with auspicious patterns and colors, the toy bull (hariko no toro) was a popular subject for artists interested in the material culture of traditional Japan. Bakufu's handling of this diminutive subject brings the same attentive eye he lavished on fish and birds to the handmade artifacts of folk craft.