After 40+ Years, Identification!

In 1974, my dad showed me an ad in the newspaper about a collection of horses for sale. He offered to take me to look at it and buy some pieces. It was a good find -  I got an HR Adelaide, HR Amir (small), a neat Hartland Saddlebred, and this oddity:

I'd never seen anything like it - it was lightweight and seemed made of paper mache with a costume made from fabric covered wood.

It was very unusual, and looked like it had Asian origins, so I named it "Chopsticks" and have kept it in my curio cabinet ever since.

Only once have I seen a reference to it in the model horse hobby - Linda Walter has the same piece and a picture of it was published in an old hobby magazine that I came across years after the publication date. But there was no identifying information with the picture in the article and I did not follow up on it.

Yesterday I was noodling around on Ardith Carlton's site, Vintage Custom Model Equine Center. She has exciting plans to build a museum for model horses in Michigan, and she has sponsored some events to help preserve early parts of our hobby history.

Ardith lives in Japan and has long been fascinated with its culture. The VCMEC has a second component, a link to Spa-Kun, the Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Kazari-Uma Ningyo.

Never having heard of Spa-Kun, I clicked on that link, and suddenly discovered the identity of Chopsticks. He was a Japanese Battle Doll Horse!

An example of another Japanese Battle Doll Horse from Google Images. Note how similar it is to mine.

The web site includes some information on these interesting pieces:

"In a tradition dating back to the 16th century, the Kazari-uma is part of the array of warrior dolls and tot-sized battle gear displayed in the homes of Japanese boys every May 5 (which until 1948 was called Tango no Sekku, or Boy’s Day; it’s now the holiday Kodomo no Hi, or Children’s Day). 

"Ranging from Little Bit size to about 18 inches at the ear tips (in general, the bigger the horse, the older it is), most Kazari-uma are white and made of touso (a wood-based composition material) or paper mache, covered with either keuesaikupasted-on silk-fiber hairs or chirimen cloth, and given glass or crystal eyes and a rooted hair mane and tail. They’re then tacked with lacquered wood, brocade and fringe, and are sometimes graced with rider dolls.

"With decreasing living space an increasing issue, though, the Kazari-uma has unfortunately become a luxury option for Japanese families today—and antique Kazari-uma that were once heirlooms now find themselves in secondhand shops and online auctions.

My piece is bigger than a Breyer Classic but smaller than a Breyer traditional. I have no idea how old it is or how it came into the possession of the Purdue student from whom I bought it all those years ago. I have written Ardith, though, and told her what I have. I am hoping she can shed more light on it.

In the meantime, I am thrilled to finally have identified Chopsticks!