Knife Handle (Kozuka) 1750 - 1850

This 'Kozuka,' or knife handle, was made by Iwama Masayoshi between the 18th and 19th centuries. Its small surface bears a poignant image of a hobby horse, a symbol laden with cultural weight. The hobby horse, here meticulously crafted, transcends mere child's play. In European traditions, such figures were linked to fertility rites and seasonal festivals, embodying vitality and renewal. Think of the May Day parades, where similar figures danced, promising bountiful harvests and communal prosperity. But consider, too, the horse's primal connection to human ambition, a recurring motif in art across civilizations, from the equestrian statues of Roman emperors to the steeds of Renaissance heroes. Our Kozuka's hobby horse, by contrast, is deliberately diminutive, a poignant commentary on mortality and transience, evoking a bittersweet longing for times past. It reminds us of the cyclical nature of life, and how symbols reappear, imbued with new meanings, echoing through the corridors of time.