Child on game board

The figurine portrays a boy waiting to get his hair cut for the traditional ceremony held on boys’ fifth birthday. The object plays on the word for the number five and the same-sounding name of the game called go, represented by the game board on which the child is sitting. An alternative interpretation could be that the figurine represents a goban ningyō, a marionette used in plays that moved along a Go game board, or Hotei, the god of contentment and happiness, the guardian of children and the poor. This specific item is an example of the Kakiemon style, very much appreciated in Europe for the refined quality of the colored glazes, the purity of the porcelain grain, and the milky color of the over-glaze enamel.