Features
1. Cast ironwork both lifelike and full of spirit
This piece shows the refined casting technique of the Shōwa period. The lines of the ox's muscles, the thick ridge of its back and the slightly lowered head are handled with great vitality; on its back the herdboy plays his flute at ease, his expression simple and alive, and the bamboo basket behind him is clear in every detail. The cast iron gives the object the steadiness of a boulder.
2. The deep Zen mood of the herdboy returning home
The piece catches the moment when the herdboy, sitting sideways on the ox, plays his flute at leisure, creating the unworldly calm of the old verse in which the Qiang flute need not lament the willows. The ox stands for stability and wealth, the herdboy for innocence and wisdom, and the whole ornament gives off a strong sense of East Asian humane tradition.
3. A beautiful old metal colour (patina)
After decades of oxidation the iron surface shows a mellow interweaving of red-brown and black. This natural protective layer, the patina, not only guards against rust but also reveals rich metallic depth under different light — a period character that modern reproductions cannot imitate.
4. A horizontal golden proportion of 30 cm
At 30 cm long this is a medium-to-large ornament, and its horizontally extended lines suit the top of a long piece of furniture, where they balance the visual weight of the room.