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Japanese brass finish iron Onagadori okimono by Sotaro Saegusa

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LovelyPat's loves470 of 5879Loetz: vertical spun threads, Texas.Southwestern Pottery  ??????
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    Posted 3 years ago

    kwqd
    (1181 items)

    This brass toned cast iron Onagadori okimono is about 9" high x 3" long x 3"wide. It is signed (image 3), with the mark, "Sou", of Sotaro Saegusa. Similarly marked sculptures by Saegusa date to the 1950s. Inset into image 3 is a clear example of this mark.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onagadori

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    Comments

    1. PhilDMorris PhilDMorris, 3 years ago
      I thought it was a bird I was thinking about of late, but mistaken. Love the beauty of it !~
    2. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      Thanks PhilDMorris, fortapache, blunderbuss2, Kevin and SEAN68!
    3. racer4four racer4four, 3 years ago
      I think it’s a cockerel. I love the shape of this and as you say may well be Saegusa.
      It’s great Kevin!
    4. Newfld Newfld, 3 years ago
      Super iron bird figure, what a cool round head topper
    5. LaurenRedmond LaurenRedmond, 3 years ago
      I love him! He's so sleek and elegant and I wonder is he a cockerel because of his head comb? Or maybe some kind of fancy Asian pheasant? I'm gonna say cockerel though...
      Usually you see the tail raised but his is down which makes him look so dignified and stately.
    6. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      My first thought was cockerel, too, until I noticed how long his tail is... Is there a breed with a long tail like tnat?

      Ah, there is a long tailed Japanese cockerel. It is called an Onagadori and it is a special breed, a National Treasure:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onagadori

      Good eye

      Back to bed!
    7. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      Thanks, Karen! You made me take another look at cockerels and solved this puzzle! There are a few different versions of Saegusa's mark, but all seem to have the trident/pitchfork character in the upper left corner of the block of characters and I can just make it out on this piece. Definitely a lot more research to do before making a final identification, though.

      Thanks, Jenni! That is what first caught my eye!

      Thanks for joining the cockerel faction! That pushed me over the edge! I had never heard of long tailed cockerels before.

      Thanks for loving my Japanese cockerel okimono FreshAir, Thomas, aura Jenni, Watchsearcher and Karen!
    8. Alfie21 Alfie21, 3 years ago
      A marvelous sculpture. According to your link, it is "an ancestor of the German Phoenix breed."
      https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_chicken
      I Love how the sculptor displays the tail.
    9. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      Thanks for your comments Alfie21! Yup, thanks for the link!

      Thanks for loving my okimono valentino97 and Alfie21!
    10. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      Thanks jscott0363, Vynil33rpm and mikelv85!
    11. PhilDMorris PhilDMorris, 3 years ago
      I actually thought peacock for a while, somewhat too stylized to tell !~
    12. PhilDMorris PhilDMorris, 3 years ago
      I looked at rooster for awhile also.
    13. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      It took me a while to figure it out, PhilDMorris! I had no idea that there were chickens with tails three feet long!
    14. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      Thanks for taking a look at my long tailed rooster okimono Mrstyndall, mikelv85 and Vynil33rpm!
    15. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      Thanks dav2no1 and antiquerose!
    16. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      Thanks anne_dios!
    17. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      Thanks for your comments, Eileen! I think this is an older work by Saegusa. I see this signature on his old stuff. I also have never seen another example of this one. I suspect it once had a tomobako.
    18. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      Thanks for taking a look at my Saegusa okimono LovelyPat and ho2cultcha!
    19. kwqd kwqd, 3 years ago
      Thanks, vcal!

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