Object: Small Hakata ningyo depicting Mori Tahei (Mori Tomonobu), a celebrated retainer of the Kuroda house, with the famous spear Nihongo.

Tradition: Hakata ningyo, Fukuoka, Japan.

The subject refers to the well-known episode celebrated in Kuroda-bushi: Mori Tahei accepted a drinking challenge from Fukushima Masanori and, according to tradition, won the renowned spear Nihongo as his reward. The story became closely associated with the martial identity of the Kuroda retainers.

This smaller figure makes an attractive companion to larger Hakata representations of the same subject and combines regional ceramic tradition with samurai history.

Condition: Please study the photographs carefully; they form an integral part of the description.