A Kyō Tō Ningyō (京陶人形) incense container, or kōgō (香合), modelled in the form of a resting sheep. Made in Kyoto by Toshio Fujiwara (藤原俊男), the piece combines the gentle character of a traditional ceramic doll with the practical function of a small lidded incense box.
The original presentation box is inscribed 「干支香合」 (Eto Kōgō), meaning a zodiac incense container. The sheep, or hitsuji (羊), is one of the twelve animals of the Japanese zodiac and is traditionally associated with gentleness, harmony and peaceful social relationships.
Toshio Fujiwara, born in 1951, is the third-generation successor of the Heian Nishiki Dyeing tradition. After graduating from high school, he spent four years training in Hakata before continuing the family’s Kyoto doll-making practice.
His work has received a number of distinctions, including the Kyoto Prefectural Governor’s Award and Kyoto Mayor’s Award at exhibitions organized by the Kyoto Ceramic Doll Cooperative.
For more than 80 years, beginning with Fujiwara’s grandfather, the family workshop has produced traditional Kyoto dolls including hina dolls, gogatsu festival dolls, ceramic Gosho dolls, and Kyō ceramic figures. Fujiwara continues this lineage through individually handcrafted works that preserve the elegance and warmth of traditional Kyoto ningyō.
Size: 6 x 4 x 4cm
