Sekino Jun'ichirō (関野準一郎) (artist 1914 – 1988)
Straw horse (わら馬) set against a background with a hō-ō or phoenix decoration
ca 1960
10.625 in x 13.875 in (Overall dimensions) Japanese woodblock print
The god of rice fields rides a straw horse (made of rice stalks). At harvest time in early August, hanging a straw horse from a persimmon tree embodies a prayer that "fruit will grow."
-- Ryosuke Saito 'Japanese doll toy dictionary' ( Tokyo Dome publication 217)
-- Ryosuke Saito "Regional Toy Dictionary" (Section 158 of Tokyo-dori Publishing)
self-printed (sōsaku hanga - 創作版画) (genre)