yawata-uma folk horse - blue bear style

Made to mark the Year of the Horse in 2026, this is a contemporary Japanese folk style Yawata horse, painted in 'blue bear' style with a nod to the traditional style decorations - with the other additions of wheels and raffia tail and main in place of grass fibre.

The southern part of Aomori prefecture which includes Hachinohe city was once recognised by the Imperial court as a place which bred excellent horses. Wooden horses were carved to pray for the health and success of horses and eventually became souvenirs for pilgrims to the Kushihiki Hachiman shrine - becoming known as Hachiman horses or Yawata-uma. They are now machine cut using metal dies for the initial shape, then hand finished and sanded and then painted - a very similar process to that of the dala horses of Sweden, except these horses stay much more squared and stylised.

The Year of the Horse runs from February 17th 2026 to February 5th 2027.

Horses are the seventh animal in the Chinese animal zodiac, coming after the snake and before the goat (sheep in Japan). People born in the year of the horse are said to be free-spirited, energetic and confident - they need room to express themselves and do not like to be stifled. They are intelligent and love exertion - physical and mental. They are also decisive but can be easily swayed, impatient and possess a hot temper - but as they mature and learn to harness this energy they can be unstoppable.

Lucky numbers for horses are 2 and 7 and lucky colours are red, pink and purple.

Artist notes:
My pieces are painted in a naïve and simple style, with visible brush strokes and differing paint consistencies. It is important to note that these works are made from real wood which will have naturally occurring markings and grain, and sometimes there will be small amount of bleeding along the grain, or knots, which is to be expected when using untreated wood - please make sure you consult the pictures carefully before purchasing. Painted in water based paints and finished with a top coat of matt acrylic.

The horse has a blue bear head painted on the front bib as the signature.
Approximately 9.5cm tall.

IMPORTANT NOTES:
THIS IS NOT A TOY and should be kept out of the reach of children.
Wood girls should be kept away from water which can damage the wood and painted surface, and also away from direct heat/ sunlight which also can affect the surface colour and the timber itself.