Japanese Bronze Sculpture By Murata Hiroshi: Hare

This elegant sculpture of a hare is the work of Murata HIROSHI (村田宏), an accomplished Japanese sculptor andmaster metalworker from Takaoka City, one of Japan’s most important historiccenters for bronze casting. Born in Takaoka in 1936, where he continues to liveand work, Murata belongs to a lineage of artisans and artists who have shapedthe city’s reputation for technical excellence in metal arts.

Murata studied under Murata Yoshio, a councilor of the Nitten (NipponExhibition), and received rigorous training in prototype and mold-making (penmold) techniques—foundational skills that would later define the exceptionalprecision and refinement of his work. From 1952 onward, he was active at theTakaoka City Metal Technical Guidance Center, where he played a key role inteaching casting technology and design within the copper and bronze industries,contributing both as an artist and as an educator.

His artistic achievements were recognized early. In 1958, he was awardedthe Takaoka Mayor’s Prize at the Takaoka City Exhibition. From 1964 onward, hewas selected six times for the Nippon Exhibition (Nitten) and was also chosenon multiple occasions for the Japan Contemporary Crafts Exhibition, confirminghis standing within Japan’s most prestigious exhibition circuits.Murata Hiroshi is particularly admired for his subtle decorativeproduction, a field in which his work is often described as possessing a“transcendent technique.” Rather than overt ornamentation, his sculpturesdisplay restraint, balance, and a quiet sophistication, achieved throughabsolute control of form, surface, and material.

The present sculpture depicts a hare, a subject deeply rooted inJapanese symbolism and closely associated with the zodiac sign 卯 (Usagi). The animal is rendered in acomposed, alert posture, its form compact yet animated by a sense of latentenergy. Murata’s treatment avoids anecdote or exaggeration, favoring instead adistilled realism that conveys dignity, harmony, and inner vitality.

Cast in bronze with a refined German silver (nickel silver) patination,the surface exhibits a soft, silvery luminosity subtly modulated by darkertones. The contrast between delicately incised fur details and smoothlypolished volumes exemplifies Murata’s mastery of metal and his sensitivity totactile and visual nuance.

This work stands as a compelling example of postwar Japanese metalsculpture, uniting the technical heritage of Takaoka with a modern sculpturalsensibility. It is a piece for collectors of Japanese bronzes, contemporarycraft, or zodiac-themed works, and a testament to Murata Hiroshi’s enduringcontribution to the art of metal.