Bizen boar

This is a Bizen boar from the previous work of Izuru Yamamoto, who leverages his background in sculpture to pursue a new sense of sculptural beauty within a traditional style. The box inscription indicates "Toshu Kiln," as it was produced in very small numbers at the kiln of his father, the late Toshu Yamamoto, during his youth. It is a work of great dedication, characteristic of Yamamoto, who studied sculpture in his younger years and continues to present sculptural works that pursue aesthetic form. Unlike common seated zodiac figurines, this boar is depicted in a powerful standing pose, with highly detailed craftsmanship seen in the hooves, the shape of the legs, and the streamlined body of the boar. Signed wooden box (double-slatted)
26.7cm length × 10.2cm width × 15.3cm height Izuru Yamamoto is the fourth son of Living National Treasure Toshu Yamamoto. After graduating from the Department of Sculpture at Musashino Art University in 1967 and the university's postgraduate program the following year, he studied sculpture at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris for two years. Upon returning to Japan in 1970, he apprenticed under his father to enter the path of ceramics, and in 1975, he built his own kiln and became independent. He creates his works using techniques he uniquely developed, such as "Tatakikomi" (beating-in), "Shusai" (a slip-painting technique), and "Tsumiage" (stacking), where clay is formed into sheets and layered. In 1979, he became a regular member of the Japan Kōgei Association. In 1980, he received the Encouragement Award at the Japan Traditional Art Crafts Exhibition. He received the Kaneshige Toyo Award in 1985. In 1997, he received the Okayama Prefecture Cultural Encouragement Award and exhibited at the Bizen Pottery Paris Exhibition in the same year. In 2002, he won the Tanabe Museum of Art Grand Prize at the Tea Ceremony Form Exhibition for his "Stacked Flower Vase" (Tsumiage Kaki), which incorporated soil from Burgundy, France. In 2012, he was designated as an Okayama Prefecture Selected Intangible Cultural Property holder.